CEBU Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia yesterday endorsed the senatorial candidates of the “Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas” except for Las Piñas Rep. Camille Villar, whose name President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. also skipped during the campaign rally in Dumanjug, Cebu.
The Cebu governor made the endorsement at the rally of the One Cebu party at the Dumanjug Sports Complex, where she named the 10 administration candidates: reelectionist Senators Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., Pia Cayetano, Francis “Tol” Tolentino and Lito Lapid; former senators Panfilo Lacson, Vicente Sotto III, and Manny Pacquiao; former interior Secretary Benhur Abalos; Rep. Erwin Tulfo (ACT-CIS), and Makati City Mayor Abby Binay.
Since 12 senators will be elected on May 12, Garcia said One Cebu will still have to pick its 11th senatorial bet from another party while the remaining 12th slot will be decided by Cebuanos.
“Niingon na man ko daan nga basig One Cebu ang suportahan mga siyam, napulo [from Alyansa]. Mahibaw ra unya mo kung kinsa ang ika-onse. Ang ika-dose, abyerto na na, kamo na’y pili (I already said that One Cebu may support only nine, 10 [from the Alyansa slate]. You will know later who is the 11th. The 12th is open, you can decide),” Garcia told the crowd.
Cebu has more than 3.7 million registered voters this year, getting the bulk of the more than 4.7 million voters of Central Visayas (Region 7).
Villar, daughter of Sen. Cynthia Villar and former Senate President Manuel Villar, has been drawing flak after receiving the endorsement of Vice President Sara Duterte despite having joined the administration coalition.
Duterte has been at loggerheads with the administration ever since she broke away from her alliance with Marcos in June last year.
Villar was initially included in the list of nine Alyansa candidates that Garcia and One Cebu endorsed last month during a province-wide “suroy-suroy” caravan. Only Lapid and Tulfo were not part of the list then but they were added yesterday.
Only and Abalos and Revilla’s wife, Cavite Rep. Lani Mercado-Revilla, were able to attend yesterday’s event as the other Alyansa candidates campaigned in other areas to cover more ground with only a week left before the midterm elections.
Marcos also notably skipped mentioning Villar’s name, the same thing he did when he campaigned in Batangas City last Saturday with the Alyansa ticket.
Marcos urged Cebu to again stand united with him and vote for the Alyansa slate “to sustain the administration’s economic goals and address the urgent needs of the Filipino people.”
In her speech, Garcia said that “in deference” to the president, she decided to endorse Tulfo despite her differences with his older brother, Sen. Raffy Tulfo, who recently called for an investigation into issues hounding the Cebu North Bus Terminal.
“(I’m endorsing Erwin) even if I’m being attacked now by Raffy Tulfo, he wants to do a Senate investigation (into the bus terminal issues),” she said. “In deference to the president, and because I believe this senatorial candidate is ready to defend Cebu, let us also support Erwin Tulfo.”
Garcia pointed out that even siblings have differences in principles, beliefs and opinions. “But if we really think about it, even within one family, we all think differently. We’re not the same. And I won’t pretend otherwise,” she said in mixed Cebuano and English.
“In our family, some of us share the same mindset — but even then, others still differ in how they think and act,” added the 69-year-old governor, who is running for a third and final term.
Rep. Tulfo, who has been on the top of senatorial surveys, thanked Garcia, saying her endorsement is a huge help especially since the province posted an 87.48 percent voter turnout in the 2022 national elections.
“To Gov. Garcia, One Cebu, and all the Cebuanos, I will not let you down. I will ensure that your vote and support will be worthwhile,” he said.
