By Joseph B.A. Marzan
With the filing of certificates of candidacy (COC) kicking off next week, Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. has yet to finalize his lineup for the 2022 elections as his party turns to the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) to resolve an internal dispute.
The ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-LABAN) is split into two factions – one led by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi and the other under Senator Aquilino Pimentel III.
The Cusi wing formally nominated Senator Bong Go and President Rodrigo Duterte as its bets for president and vice-president, respectively; while the Pimentel wing nominated their chairman, Senator Manny Pacquiao for the top post without a running mate.
The Cusi wing’s secretary-general, Melvin Matibag, has petitioned the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) this week to resolve which faction it will recognize ahead of the COC filing dates on Oct. 1 to 8.
The COMELEC recognition is crucial as it will determine which bloc can issue certificates of nomination and acceptance to their respective candidates.
Defensor, who has confirmed his re-election bid, previously said that he was with the Cusi faction.
The governor also confirmed that PDP-LABAN Region 6 members met in Boracay Island over the weekend, composed of congressmen and governors, to meet on updates.
He said that he and other party members were “similarly situated” in waiting for COMELEC’s decision on the internal rift.
“We are just waiting if there are additional developments with respect to the candidates for president of one faction. In broad terms, that is the tenor of our discussion, and again, we cannot give a clear direction for the party insofar as we are concerned, except that, right now, there are things which we are waiting for,” the governor told Daily Guardian.
Locally, Defensor nixed placing a full slate of PDP-LABAN candidates in the province since some of their allies belong to other parties.
Majority of the mayors in Iloilo province belong to the Nacionalista Party (NP) with 34, while PDP-LABAN has 8 mayors. The United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) has one member-mayor.
Defensor reiterated his previous statement that uncertainties in the national level, including coalitions with other parties and the intra-party row, affect political alliances and configurations in the province.
He said coalition-building in the province was “different” for this election cycle.
“The difference right now is that, when there was a presidential election before, the administration party would tend to organize everybody in the province so that those in the administration would become a member of the ruling party,” he said.
MEETING WITH LAWMAKERS
Defensor also confirmed that he met with Iloilo Representatives Michael Gorriceta (2nd district), Raul Tupas (5th district), and his younger brother Lorenz (3rd district) to discuss municipal-level candidates.
Gorriceta and Tupas are members of NP which is headed by former congressman Ferjenel Biron in the province.
The governor said the meeting focused on their common candidates and those under PDP-Laban.
He said that due to the alliances he forged with other local leaders and lawmakers, PDP-LABAN would not field candidates in some areas of the provinces.
One district where he will not field candidates is the 4th district, citing an agreement he made “a long time ago” with the district’s Rep. Braeden John Biron and his father Ferjenel.
Defensor said their talks would develop further in the next days, saying that there is “no exact formula for every municipality.”
“We have common municipal-level candidates but belonging to the [NP]. We also have candidates from our group in PDP-LABAN. Those were the things we talked about, in the municipal level. But we continue to talk,” the governor said.
He added that he will also seek to talk to another NP lawmaker, 1st district Rep. Janette Garin, on municipal-level candidates in her district.
STILL NO RUNNING MATE
Defensor said he has yet to decide on his running mate.
He announced last week that he has talked to several people on the matter, but refrained from dropping names.
But the governor said that he had also been talking to incumbent Vice Governor Christine Garin but stopped short of confirming her to be his vice-gubernatorial bet.
“Right now it is premature. We will think about what announcements we can make but right now, there’s none. It would be better for us to finish discussions and we can agree on something,” he said.
He also clarified that he is still open to Garin to be his tandem in this election cycle, citing their current collaborations as the province’s top executives.
Garin was elected vice-governor in 2016 as the running mate of Defensor’s father, former governor Arthur Defensor Sr.
“It’s a possibility. Vice Governor Tingting is already there, she is the incumbent vice-governor, and we have worked together and have been working together,” he said.
COMMON BETS AND COMPROMISES
Except for the towns of New Lucena and Sta. Barbara, Defensor and Gorriceta will field common mayoralty bets in the district.
Gorriceta said in an interview with Aksyon Radyo Iloilo that the governor has “compromises’ with his supporters in New Lucena and Sta. Barbara.
The second district is also composed of the towns of Alimodian, Leon, San Miguel, Leganes, Zarraga, and Pavia.
As to the vice gubernatorial bet, he said they have yet to decide although they asked for a status quo by retaining incumbent Vice Gov. Garin.
Former Barotac Viejo mayor Beng Tupas also reached out to Defensor as well, the congressman said.
“We will let Gov. Defensor to decide on his tandem,” he added.
The Pavianhon lawmaker said they are also set to meet NP provincial chair Biron to discuss their group’s plans for 2022.
