MASANTOL, Pampanga – President Arroyo visited anew yesterday her home province, this time to inaugurate a wharf rehabilitated at the cost of P19.2 million here and inspected the P100-million rehabilitation of a road from this town to Apalit, and to look into fisheries concerns in two island barangays in Sasmuan.
The President also distributed in this town some 200 PhilHealth cards to farming folk and 50 Pangulong Gloria scholarship certificates to deserving local youths. She also awarded P50,000 worth of assorted vegetable seeds to some 300 local farmers and some 100,000 saline tilapia fingerlings for local brackish water fish farm operators.
This, even as Masantol Mayor Peter Flores said the local fisheries industry is expected to get some P30 million funding under an agreement signed yesterday between the Bureau of Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and the Philippine Fisheries Development Authority (PFDA).
Flores said the wharf project was funded from the corporate expenditure funds of the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) and will serve as “bagsakan” or center for trading of fisheries products, particularly prawns and mud crabs in the town.
“Fisheries harvests from all over will converge at the wharf for trading. The wharf will also serve as terminal for passenger boats,” he said.
The President, who arrived here past noon after receiving boxing champion Manny Pacquiao in Malacanang, unveiled a marker that the 120-meter long and 15-meter wide wharf project whose rehabilitation included reclamation works and lighting.
She was accompanied by Agriculture Sec. Arthur Yap and Transportation and Communications Sec. Leandro Mendoza.
From Masantol, the President went to island Barangays Batang 1 and Batang 2 in Sasmuan town where she had visited two other island barangays only last March. The President, together with local officials led by Mayor Catalina Bagasina, inspected prawns and mud crab farms.
On her way back to Malacanang, the President inspected the Apalit-Macabebe-Masantol road which is undergoing rehabilitation and was briefed by Public Works Sec. Hermogenes Ebdane on the project.
Ebdane said the rehabilitation of the 9.9-kilometer road which is the primary link between Macabebe and Masantol towns and connects to the old Manila North Road towards Metro Manila, would cost some P100 million.
Only last Friday, the President was in the capital town of San Fernando where she turned over P10 million to the Butil party list for solid waste conversion projects and, in Porac town, another P5 million for the establishment of material recovery facilities in the town’s barangays.
Her frequent visits to Pampanga, particularly the province’s second district where her eldest son Mikey Arroyo is congressman, has continued to fuel speculations that she would run for Congress in the 2010 polls, while Mikey would run for governor.
While Masantol which she visited yesterday is within Pampanga’s fourth district, Sasmuan is in the second district which also covers Lubao, the President’s home town where she is a registered voter.
In an email in reply to a query from Punto, her election lawyer Romulo Macalintal clarified she need not resign from the presidency to run for congresswoman in this Pampanga’s second district.
This, even as Bacolor Mayor Buddy Dungca, known as a close ally of presidential son 2nd district Rep. Mikey Arroyo, said he also believes that the President could have plans to run for congresswoman in the next polls
Dungca, reached by phone in California, said this could be the explanation for the President’s recent frequent visits to towns in her district.
“I’ve been hearing about talks she will run for congress and we, leaders in Pampanga, will continue to support her whatever her political plans are,” Dungca said. Mikey, who is only on his second term, will reportedly run for governor.
Macalintal noted that should the President run for Congress, “there is no need for her to resign from the presidency.” He sent the email from Norfolk in California.
He clarified that a law that required resignation of elected officials running for other posts has already been repealed.
He noted, however, that the political opposition would not like the President to resign as this would make Vice Pres. Noli de Castro as president during next year’s election period where he reportedly plans to run for president.
In an earlier interview Pampanga 1st district Rep. Carmelo Lazatin said the President would have to resign one year before the polls should she decide to run for Congress. He said some administration solons want her to seek a congressional post amid expectations that a Charter change would lead to a parliamentary system of government to be realized soon after next year’s elections. He said that new parliament would absorb those elected for Congress and pave the way for Mrs. Arroyo to be prime minister.
Macalintal, who is known as the President’s election lawyer, stressed, however, that “there is no need for her to resign.” He cited Section 67 of the Omnibus Election Code “which provides that an incumbent elective official who runs for a position other than the one he or she is holding in an incumbent capacity had been repealed under Section 14 of RA 9006, Fair Election Act of 2000.”
“In other words, any elective official who runs for any other position retains his or her position during the entire campaign period till election day since their term of office ends at noon of June 30, 2010,” he said.
He stressed that “the president or any elective official is not barred from resigning if they intend to run for other position.”
Pampanga Commission on Elections (Comelec) chief Temmie Lambino also confirmed this, saying “a president is prohibited only from seeking reelection and that’s in the Constitution.”
But noted lawyer Ernesto Francisco, one of the volunteer lawyers of Pampanga Gov. Eddie Panlilio, urged the President “not to run for the country’s sake.”
“At any rate, any move on her part to run for Congress is proof she is behind ConAss (Constitutional assembly). The two moves complement each other,” he said.
Meanwhile, Candaba Mayor Jerry Pelayo, spokesperson of the administration Kabalikat ng Mamamayang Pilipino (Kampi) said he was not aware of any plans of the President to seek a congressional post.
“I really don’t know. There has been no consultation on that. Perhaps we will know by June or one year before her term expires,” he said.
The President also distributed in this town some 200 PhilHealth cards to farming folk and 50 Pangulong Gloria scholarship certificates to deserving local youths. She also awarded P50,000 worth of assorted vegetable seeds to some 300 local farmers and some 100,000 saline tilapia fingerlings for local brackish water fish farm operators.
This, even as Masantol Mayor Peter Flores said the local fisheries industry is expected to get some P30 million funding under an agreement signed yesterday between the Bureau of Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and the Philippine Fisheries Development Authority (PFDA).
Flores said the wharf project was funded from the corporate expenditure funds of the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) and will serve as “bagsakan” or center for trading of fisheries products, particularly prawns and mud crabs in the town.
“Fisheries harvests from all over will converge at the wharf for trading. The wharf will also serve as terminal for passenger boats,” he said.
The President, who arrived here past noon after receiving boxing champion Manny Pacquiao in Malacanang, unveiled a marker that the 120-meter long and 15-meter wide wharf project whose rehabilitation included reclamation works and lighting.
She was accompanied by Agriculture Sec. Arthur Yap and Transportation and Communications Sec. Leandro Mendoza.
From Masantol, the President went to island Barangays Batang 1 and Batang 2 in Sasmuan town where she had visited two other island barangays only last March. The President, together with local officials led by Mayor Catalina Bagasina, inspected prawns and mud crab farms.
On her way back to Malacanang, the President inspected the Apalit-Macabebe-Masantol road which is undergoing rehabilitation and was briefed by Public Works Sec. Hermogenes Ebdane on the project.
Ebdane said the rehabilitation of the 9.9-kilometer road which is the primary link between Macabebe and Masantol towns and connects to the old Manila North Road towards Metro Manila, would cost some P100 million.
Only last Friday, the President was in the capital town of San Fernando where she turned over P10 million to the Butil party list for solid waste conversion projects and, in Porac town, another P5 million for the establishment of material recovery facilities in the town’s barangays.
Her frequent visits to Pampanga, particularly the province’s second district where her eldest son Mikey Arroyo is congressman, has continued to fuel speculations that she would run for Congress in the 2010 polls, while Mikey would run for governor.
While Masantol which she visited yesterday is within Pampanga’s fourth district, Sasmuan is in the second district which also covers Lubao, the President’s home town where she is a registered voter.
In an email in reply to a query from Punto, her election lawyer Romulo Macalintal clarified she need not resign from the presidency to run for congresswoman in this Pampanga’s second district.
This, even as Bacolor Mayor Buddy Dungca, known as a close ally of presidential son 2nd district Rep. Mikey Arroyo, said he also believes that the President could have plans to run for congresswoman in the next polls
Dungca, reached by phone in California, said this could be the explanation for the President’s recent frequent visits to towns in her district.
“I’ve been hearing about talks she will run for congress and we, leaders in Pampanga, will continue to support her whatever her political plans are,” Dungca said. Mikey, who is only on his second term, will reportedly run for governor.
Macalintal noted that should the President run for Congress, “there is no need for her to resign from the presidency.” He sent the email from Norfolk in California.
He clarified that a law that required resignation of elected officials running for other posts has already been repealed.
He noted, however, that the political opposition would not like the President to resign as this would make Vice Pres. Noli de Castro as president during next year’s election period where he reportedly plans to run for president.
In an earlier interview Pampanga 1st district Rep. Carmelo Lazatin said the President would have to resign one year before the polls should she decide to run for Congress. He said some administration solons want her to seek a congressional post amid expectations that a Charter change would lead to a parliamentary system of government to be realized soon after next year’s elections. He said that new parliament would absorb those elected for Congress and pave the way for Mrs. Arroyo to be prime minister.
Macalintal, who is known as the President’s election lawyer, stressed, however, that “there is no need for her to resign.” He cited Section 67 of the Omnibus Election Code “which provides that an incumbent elective official who runs for a position other than the one he or she is holding in an incumbent capacity had been repealed under Section 14 of RA 9006, Fair Election Act of 2000.”
“In other words, any elective official who runs for any other position retains his or her position during the entire campaign period till election day since their term of office ends at noon of June 30, 2010,” he said.
He stressed that “the president or any elective official is not barred from resigning if they intend to run for other position.”
Pampanga Commission on Elections (Comelec) chief Temmie Lambino also confirmed this, saying “a president is prohibited only from seeking reelection and that’s in the Constitution.”
But noted lawyer Ernesto Francisco, one of the volunteer lawyers of Pampanga Gov. Eddie Panlilio, urged the President “not to run for the country’s sake.”
“At any rate, any move on her part to run for Congress is proof she is behind ConAss (Constitutional assembly). The two moves complement each other,” he said.
Meanwhile, Candaba Mayor Jerry Pelayo, spokesperson of the administration Kabalikat ng Mamamayang Pilipino (Kampi) said he was not aware of any plans of the President to seek a congressional post.
“I really don’t know. There has been no consultation on that. Perhaps we will know by June or one year before her term expires,” he said.
