NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, Philippines – Liberal Party standard bearer Manuel "Mar" Roxas II assailed the former provincial chairman of his party in Negros Occidental for saying that the province will go for his opponent, Grace Poe.
Roxas said that Negros Occidental Third District Alfredo Abelardo Benitez will be "sadly mistaken" and will be "sadly disappointed" because the province will support him and that he will "absolutely" win against Poe.
Negros Occidental is the fifth most vote-rich province in the country with 1.6 million registered voters.
The province is a known "Mar Country" as Roxas’ mother, Judy Araneta-Roxas, is from Bago City, though, Poe also traces her roots here as her adoptive mother, actress Susan Roces, is from Bacolod City.
"Nalulungkot ako na ‘yun ang pagpasya ni Congressman Albee, pero mabuti na rin lang na nakita na natin ang kanyang tunay na kulay. Pansarili lang pala. Itong ating pagsuot ng dilaw, itong ating pagsama sa Daang Matuwid, ito ay dahil naniniwala tayo dito. May kawsa tayo na ipinaglalaban: ‘Yung matuwid at malinis na pamamahala. Programa de gobyerno ito. Hindi ito pang-personal, hindi ito pangsarili," Roxas said.
(I'm sad that this is Congressman Albee's choice, but it's good to know his true colors. He's thinking of himself. Our wearing yellow, our joining together for the Straight Path, it is because we believe in it. We have a cause worth fighting for: The straight and clean path of governance. It's a government program. It is neither personal nor for the self.)
He went on to say that Benitez's only concern is his personal interest, as he claimed that the Negrense lawmaker was promised with a House speakership should Poe wins the elections. "Pansariling interes,‘yung kanyang pagiging speaker kuno, kasi ipinangako sa kanya na magiging speaker siya sakaling manalo si Grace Poe, he said." (Self-interest. It's about his becoming speaker, because it was promised to him should Grace Poe win.)
"This is not about Leni Robredo. This is not about any one person or any person’s political ambition. This is about the future of our country. This is about the Negrenses. This is about the Ilonggos. This is about all Filipinos, that only want, nagnanais lamang na mamuhay ng may dangal, puno ng pagkakataon," the LP standard bearer added.
"Dito lamang sa Negros, we now have the beginnings of a Negros Island Region. Nagawa natin ito. Napakita natin na kaya nating baguhin ang mga mekanismo ng pamamahala para lalong nakatutok sa pangangailangan ng Negros. Napakita natin dito sa Negros, dati monoculture dito. One crop, dun lang sa tubo, sa asukal. Ngayon, we have more than 10,000 hectares planted to rice. Irrigated na. Very soon, Negros will already be exporting rice. Dito rin sa Negros is the site of several solar powered generating stations. Ibig sabihin, ito ‘yung kaunlaran na nahatid ng Daang Matuwid sa Negros Island. Kaya ito ang nais nating magpatuloy. Kung ano man ang pagpasya, kung ano man ang ginawa ni Congressman Albee, well, good luck to him. Nakita ng mga kababayan niya ang tunay niya na kulay," he added.
Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr., a staunch supporter of the Aquino administration, vowed that Negros Island could deliver 1.5 million votes for Roxas, with one million coming from Negros Occidental, as he cited the overwhelming win of Roxas in the province against Vice President Jejomar Binay in the vice presidential race in the 2010 elections. The LP standard bearer garnered 707,313 votes in Negros Occidental, including Bacolod City, while Binay only got 221,679 votes.
But for Benitez, he doesn’t think Roxas could muster one million votes in the province.
Benitez, who shifted his allegiance to Poe when he was stripped of his functions as LP provincial chairman last year, said that Negros Occidental will go for Poe and that the latter will surpass other presidential candidates here, as he cited the overwhelming support of Negrenses to Poe during her sorties here.
He downplayed the machinery of the administration as it only protects the votes and not generate it.
Meanwhile, Roxas said that Negros Occidental is not a "Mar Country."
"Negros is for the Negrosanons. Negrosanons support Roxas. I think you yourself saw the reception. Hindi para sa akin ang magtaas ng sarili kong banko. Kayo na lang siguro ang magsabi kung sino ang tatangkilikin ng mga kababayan natin dito," Roxas said. – Rappler.com