Yapha may support Gwen for vice president in 2010

If Governor Gwendolyn Garcia decides to run for vice president in the 2010 elections, she already has the support this early from Antonio Yapha, a former congressman of Cebu’s third district who has been with the opposition since.

“I will support the governor (Gwen). Cebuano na gud na,” Yapha said, in an interview over dyLA, but clarified that his support will be for her if there are no other Cebuano candidate to run for the vice-presidency.

Garcia’s name has been floated as a possible runningmate for some people whose names have been touted also as possible candidates for the presidency in the 2010 national elections.

Yapha dismissed insinuations, however, that he might be moving for a political alignment with Garcia especially when he allowed earlier his political allies to join the governor in her recent visit to the district.

Yapha’s daughter, Geraldine, the mayor of Pinamungajan, welcomed the governor in her last visit to the town, in complete contrast to the previous visits where no town official even welcomed the governor.

Yapha explained that his daughter only gave courtesy to Garcia who promised several projects for Pinamungajan. On the other mayors who recently expressed their support to the governor, Yapha said he granted his political allies the freedom to decide on this matter.

He further clarified that he remains to be with former senator John Henry “Sonny” Osmeña, who he still consider as his “political boss.”

There were reports however that incumbent congressman of the Third District, Rep. Pablo John Garcia, a brother of the governor, had resented her move to accept the political allies of Yapha. According to political pundits, the congressman was not amenable to this development because it only threatens his own political hold in the district.

Pablo John won, by a slim margin only, over Yapha’s wife, former Provincial Board member Estrella Yapha, during the last congressional elections.

Observers noted that if the governor continues to make friends with political rivals of her younger brother, this will give greater chances for Yapha to regain his stronghold in the district.

Yapha however said that he has no plans yet of running again in the district although he admitted that it is a future possibility. — Fred P. Languido/RAE