It's final, Lipa City Mayor Vilma Santos is running for Batangas Governor, under the Lakas-CMD, against incumbent Gov. Armand Sanchez, who is running under the KAMPI, and Vilma's brother-in-law Vice Gov. Ricky Recto, who is running under the Genuine Opposition.She made the announcement in an event together with her husband, Sen. Ralph Recto (also called as Mr. E-VAT) and Sen. Joker Arroyo. The event was also attended by Vice President Noli de Castro and Edwin Ermita, the son of Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita. Edwin is the one being groomed as Vilma's runningmate in the upcoming elections.
Vilma is on her third and last term as Lipa City Mayor. As what her constituents can say, she has made Lipa City from a barren place into a star-studded city. Star-studded in a sense of development in infrastructure, social services, social welfare and health.
As far as I am concerned, she is really qualified for the post. But the problem is that the politics in Batangas. There's her brother-in-law Vice Gov. Ricky Recto who is also aspiring for the gubernatorial post against incumbent Gov. Armand Sanchez whom he wanted to be out of office because of Sanchez's anomalous computerization program. While Ricky Recto's exposé is very convincing to the Batangueños and to other people, his brother Sen. Ralph Recto insist that he's not a popular guy in the province thus he deserves to be deprived from the gubernatorial post.
Sanchez's dismissal as governor of Batangas, as ordered by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), was regarded as unacceptable to many Batangueños that's why he received a lot of sympathies and remained in the post.
With Vilma's entry in the gubernatorial race, it would be very complicated for the people to choose on whose to be their governor. Some Sanchez' and Recto's supporters may change their allegiance to their leader and instead support Vilma.
Their would be also a big problem in the clashes of Lakas-CMD and KAMPI, who are both in coalition supporting President Gloria Arroyo and it's not only happening in Batangas alone. If Vilma would run under Lakas-CMD and Armand Sanchez under KAMPI, the province will be automatically under a "free zone" wherein the ruling coalition would not make an endorsement of their official candidate because both parties are in alliance.
So, it's up for the Batangueños on who would they vote. Vilma's track record is her basis on running as governor but you could not also deny the track record of Armand Sanchez and Ricky Recto. Thus, it may be a toss-up on who's to win as Batangas Governor this election. Vote wisely!
Labels: batangas, election 2007, genuine opposition, kampi, lakas-cmd, pgma
A battle of substance or personality if you ask me. Ralph should not be to arrogant, Vilma's mayoralty win was a close one. She could still lose the gubernatorial race. Ralph's senatorial bid is also in limbo, people hate him for his Evat which has made life harder for the poor.