Opposition urged to form convenor's group

BOSTON – Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez urged the opposition in the Philippines yesterday to form a convenor’s group among aspirants for president and vice-president to start negotiations for common candidates for the 2010 elections.

“If we have so many candidates in the opposition, we’re just giving the right recipe for defeat because the administration will be very strong because of machinery and money. To me, it is a basic strategy and necessity that we unite, otherwise we will have defeat in the 2010 elections,” said Rodriguez during the Gawad Kalinga (GK) Global Summit held here.

“The opposition can choose a common candidate by having a convenor’s group where all candidates should be able to talk to each other, how they can have a common ground, a common platform, common issues, then a common candidate. There should be no set rules first,” he added.

Rodriguez attended the GK Global Summit as a new GK advocate and turned over funding for the construction of a GK village in his district in Barangay La Pazan in Cagayan de Oro, using his pork barrel funds.

“I have always been a proponent of starting a convenor’s group. I even intend to be part of a convenor’s group to start bringing in the declared candidates for president and vice-president. Defeat is certainly a prospect if there is disunity among the candidates, so we should unite behind one common candidate,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez said he would talk to opposition presidential candidates Senators Mar Roxas and Manny Villar about his proposal, and stressed that former President Joseph Estrada should lead the convenor’s group of the opposition.

He said there was still plenty of time for them to choose a common presidential candidate if they start discussions now.

“It’s not late, we are full of donations. We have July, August, September, three months to do this,” Rodriguez said.

Rufus to lead in allotting pork barrel for GK

Meanwhile, at the closing of the GK Global summit, Rodriguez signed a memorandum of agreement and donated P2.45 million from his pork barrel to GK to start the building of 35 homes in his district in Cagayan de Oro City.

He presented the check at a ceremonial turnover and pledged in front of 200 Filipino-Americans who attended the summit that he would lead his colleagues at the House in setting aside part of their pork barrel for the construction of free homes and livelihood to their constituents through GK.

“Hopefully, next week, we can start the building of 35 homes in my district. I will also allocate P2 million for the road construction going to the area. Next year, I will allocate P5 million for the construction of 70 homes,” Rodriguez said.

In his province, students will help the beneficiaries build their homes.

“After getting Mr. (Tony) Meloto to talk to college students in schools in Cagayan de Oro, the students were so touched that they decided to volunteer in the building of homes,” Rodriguez said.

He said he has come to embrace the GK cause after learning about it from his close friends in Cagayan de Oro who are now residing in the US. After meeting GK founder Tony Meloto, he became more convinced that GK could indeed be an avenue to uplift the poor and rebuild the nation.

“If you give a family decent shelter, you give them dignity, motivation and dream to move forward. I believe GK can help us do this. My support for GK will continue forever,” Rodriguez said.