FPJ skips Tarlac campaign sortie

TARLAC CITY — Apparently not wanting to offend his original supporters here, action star-turned-presidential candidate Fernando Poe Jr. decided to forgo his campaign sortie here the other day.

Poe, standard-bearer of the opposition Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP), was supposed to barnstorm this city upon the invitation of local candidates of the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP) who earlier had campaigned for Sen. Panfilo Lacson.

This was the second time that the action star had to cancel his campaign sortie here. The first was in late February when the campaign period for local aspirants commenced.

Poe was reportedly appraised by former mayor Gelacio Manalang late last Thursday on alleged plans by the LDP-Lacson wing here to "sabotage" the campaign program which the local KNP group had prepared for him.

Manalang, who represented Tarlac when the KNP was formed late last year, is seeking to regain the mayoral post which he had held for three consecutive terms until 2001.

Manalang belongs to the Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP), the political party of Poe’s bosom friend, jailed former President Joseph Estrada. The PMP runs the KNP machinery in the province.

Vice Mayor Miguel Tañedo, mayoral candidate of the LDP-Lacson bloc here, and his slate had made preparations for Poe’s scheduled campaign here the other day.

Tañedo reportedly withdrew his support for Lacson after Manalang filed a petition with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) here asking that the local LDP candidates be declared independents.

Like Lacson, the nominations of Tañedo and members of his ticket were only signed by Makati City Rep. Agapito Aquino, LDP secretary general.

The Supreme Court, however, ruled last Feb. 24 that only Sen. Edgardo Angara, LDP president, has the right to choose the party’s official candidates.

Tañedo reportedly sought Angara’s nomination with the help of Rep. Aquino’s sister, Sen. Tessie Aquino-Oreta, but on the condition that he should ditch Lacson for Poe.