Roxas ally chides Liberal Party turncoats

MANILA, Philippines – Several Liberal Party mem- bers in the Davao provinces were chided yesterday for abandon- ing their standard-bearer, former local government secretary Man- uel Roxas II, in favor of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.

“It is very disheartening to hear that these party mates of Secretary Mar have abandoned him. As party members, they were expected to support the party’s candidates,” Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr. of Dasmariñas City in Cavite said.

Barzaga is vice president of the National Unity Party but has declared his support for Roxas.

He said the decision of a group of LP members in the Davao provinces to switch sup- port to Duterte does not speak well of political parties and their members.

“Sad to say, we still have a weak political party system. It is always a party of convenience and personalities and not of principles,” he said.

He said politicians, regard- less of party affiliations, tend to support the more popular presidential candidate.

He added that the same poli- ticians join the political party of the winning candidate after the latter is proclaimed.

Barzaga noted that LP mem- bers were just a minority when President Aquino won in 2010.

After Aquino was declared winner, there was a beeline of politicians applying for mem- bership in the new ruling party, he said.

Davao politicians, led by a governor who had expressed his support for Roxas, have report- edly jumped ship and joined Duterte’s camp.

Like Roxas, Vice President Jejomar Binay has lost some followers to the tough-talking Davao City mayor. One of them is businessman Antonio Floiren- do Jr., who is seeking to reclaim the congressional seat he held for nine years.

Binay has described political party switching as a “reality” in Philippine politics.

Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo advocated yesterday the amendment of the Elec- tion Code so that all election- related activities before and during the campaign period would be regulated.

She told a news conference that while the law regulates such ac- tivities during the campaign period, there is no such regulation before the official campaign.

Thus, she said presidential, vice presidential and senatorial candidates in the May 9, 2016 polls are now free to place ad- vertisements on radio and televi-sion, and go on campaign sorties.

“This situation is anomalous,” she said.

She said the tens of millions spent by candidates before the official campaign would not be counted as part of their allow- able election-related expenses.

She added that there are sev- eral bills pending in the House that seek to change the law.

As for her exposure strategy, she has asked people helping her to package her as she is. – With Paolo Romero, Delon Porcalla