Binay swears in new UNA recruits

TAGBILARAN CITY, Philippines – Vice President Jejomar Binay on Thursday sworn in new recruits, including incumbent local officials, as new members of the Bohol chapter of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA).

A source of the Bag-ong Bol-anon, a local version of people’s movement, said Binay breezed into town for a little over an hour for the oathtaking rites of the new UNA-Bohol members in preparation for the filing of the certificate of the candidacy (COCs) from Oct. 1 to 5 for the 2013 elections.

The induction of new recruits was held at the gym of Holy Name University in this city, and was attended by at least 2,000 participants, according to Mark Monton, also a key figure of the movement.

Leading the pack of new UNA members was Mayor Conchita “Che” de los Reyes of Carmen town who was reported to be running for governor against incumbent Gov. Edgar Chatto.

De los Reyes is the chairperson of Bag-ong Bol-anon, while Tagbilaran City Mayor Dan Neri-Lim is the secretary general.

Also sworn in were Panglao town’s Vice Mayor Evangeline Bon-Lazaro and former vice mayor Fred Fuertes, former mayor Telesforo Balagosa, Mayor Jimmy Jimenez of Dauis town and Mayor Tom Gonzaga of Danao town.

Monton, an trusted aide of Mayor Lim bared that Bag-ong Bol-anon movement now has some 41,000 card-bearing members after it was launched just a month ago.

There were still others, maybe thousands more are waiting for their turn to become members, Monton said, adding that these people were not coerced but were enticed with a new hope and a new change.

Monton himself has been reported to run for mayor of Balilihan, the hometown of the governor.

He said that Binay just came from Argao, Cebu where he took a ship to Loon, Bohol and traveled to Tagbilaran. Accompanying the vice president was former Bohol vice governor Julius Caesar Herrera. After the UNA oathtaking, Binay flew back to Manila at past 4 p.m. (FREEMAN)