De los Reyes stays with LP

CEBU, Philippines - Talisay City Mayor Johnny de los Reyes has decided to remain with the Liberal Party (LP) but will not support the candidacy of Mar Roxas and Leni Robredo.

“Sure na. Final na ni. Di na ni mabag-o nga magpabilin mi sa LP, but we will never support the standard bearers,” Delos Reyes told The FREEMAN in a phone interview last night.

 De los Reyes said they will continue supporting the reelection bids of Governor Hilario Davide III and Vice Governor Agnes Magpale. He, however, has yet to talk to Davide.

 “We will only support the local bets,” he said.

 He said it was a unanimous decision from his slate after a meeting Friday last week.

 On Monday next week, Delos Reyes said he will officially announce the presidential and vice-presidential candidates that they would be supporting.

 “We will announce unsa man ang kalambuan, but with or without president and vice president, we will take off,” he said.

 De los Reyes and his team decided to drop Roxas after the LP standard-bearer chose to recognize former First District Rep. Eduardo Gullas, the head of the local party Alayon, who attended the LP rally in Mandaue City last week together with his group of local candidates in the First District.

 The mayor said openly he was disappointed that he was not acknowledged during the rally.

 De los Reyes and Gullas are facing a rematch for the mayoralty seat in Talisay City in the upcoming elections. De los Reyes defeated Gullas in 2013.

 “Wa mi mahadlok because we don’t need them. We are not asking for votes from Mindanao and Luzon. Thus, they need us,” he said of the national party.

 De los Reyes said they are only banking on his constituents’ votes.

 He said majority of the 130,000 voters are his, saying that he is confident that he will be reelected this May based on the number of participants attending his pulong-pulong.

 “Ako ning panahon. Ako gihapon. Ma-feel man nako kay kanunay daghan ang mosupporta ug moduaw. Bisan ang katawhan moingon nga ako gihapon ang modaog sa way paghinambog,” he said.

 He attributed the “overwhelming” support of Talisay voters to his public service and good governance.

 “Kanunay ako gyod gitan-aw ang mga kabus. Naglingkod kung matinud-anon kanila. Ako ang mayor nga ilang matawagan, makita ug maka-estorya. Mao siguro nga botohan gihapon ko nila,” he said.

 Once reelected, he assured that he will help family members especially the poor to get good jobs. “I will help them uplift their lives,” he added.

 Prior to De los Reyes’ interview, Davide said in a press conference yesterday that De los Reyes and his slate are still welcome in LP.

Davide said, however, that LP’s doors are closed to LP stalwarts in Naga City led by mayoralty candidate Venci del Mar who left the group and moved to local party One Cebu.

 “Unsa pa may hisgotan namo nga they didn’t even informed me. They don’t have the decency to inform me. I know that the realities of politics. But at least we know aha ilang inclination sa politics. So pakita lang sila nga dili sila sinsero sa pagsupporta sa LP,” Davide said. – (FREEMAN)