ANGELES CITY- Pampanga 1st district Rep. Carmelo “Tarzan” Lazatin has clarified that he has not anointed any “mayorable” against his long-time political adversary Mayor Francis “Blue Boy” Nepomuceno, but reiterated he himself no longer has mayoral plans.
In an interview with Punto during the inauguration of the center for “Walking Free Pampanga” project for the disabled at Clark Polytechnic, he also virtually shut down, even locked doors on possible reconciliation with Nepomuceno.
“I have remained neutral (on whom to support for mayor in the 2010 polls), but any candidate is okay for as long as it is not Blue Boy,” he said.
Among those reportedly poised for mayoral bid are Vice Mayor Vicky Vega-Cabigting, North Luzon Railways Corp. president and Subic-Clark Alliance Development Council chairman Edgardo Pamintuan and Barangay Balibago chairman Tony Mamac. All of them have been reported earlier as Lazatin’s bet.
The Lazatins and Nepomucenos have long dominated local politics and had clashed in many elections.
Lazatin had been a three-term mayor of this city until he again became congressman upon winning the 2007 polls, occupying a post which Nepomuceno also filled for three terms.
Lazatin has lately been hitting Nepomuceno with allegations of anomalies in purchases of vehicles and firearms, as well as in the P10-million refurbishment of a room at city hall, but the mayor’s camp has not been short of blaming present woes as spill over from the Lazatin administration.
With Lazatin counting himself out of the 2010 mayoral race, Nepomuceno can’t presume political edge, local political observers who asked not to be named said.
“These are extraordinarily hard times and we’re fed up romanticizing traditional politicos. Now, we will have to think of feeding our families and we’ve had enough of reports of corruption. I think Angeleños will vote for a mayor whose name is not traditional,” one of them said.
In an interview with Punto during the inauguration of the center for “Walking Free Pampanga” project for the disabled at Clark Polytechnic, he also virtually shut down, even locked doors on possible reconciliation with Nepomuceno.
“I have remained neutral (on whom to support for mayor in the 2010 polls), but any candidate is okay for as long as it is not Blue Boy,” he said.
Among those reportedly poised for mayoral bid are Vice Mayor Vicky Vega-Cabigting, North Luzon Railways Corp. president and Subic-Clark Alliance Development Council chairman Edgardo Pamintuan and Barangay Balibago chairman Tony Mamac. All of them have been reported earlier as Lazatin’s bet.
The Lazatins and Nepomucenos have long dominated local politics and had clashed in many elections.
Lazatin had been a three-term mayor of this city until he again became congressman upon winning the 2007 polls, occupying a post which Nepomuceno also filled for three terms.
Lazatin has lately been hitting Nepomuceno with allegations of anomalies in purchases of vehicles and firearms, as well as in the P10-million refurbishment of a room at city hall, but the mayor’s camp has not been short of blaming present woes as spill over from the Lazatin administration.
With Lazatin counting himself out of the 2010 mayoral race, Nepomuceno can’t presume political edge, local political observers who asked not to be named said.
“These are extraordinarily hard times and we’re fed up romanticizing traditional politicos. Now, we will have to think of feeding our families and we’ve had enough of reports of corruption. I think Angeleños will vote for a mayor whose name is not traditional,” one of them said.
