Asistio brods’ rivalry heats up

A four-way mayoralty race is looming in Caloocan City but the competition is expected to be more intense as rivalry between the Asistio brothers heats up.

On Thursday, second district Rep. Luis "Baby" Asistio formed a multi-party alliance named Caloocan Grand Coalition under the banner of the United Opposition (UNO) wherein he also announced his plan of running for Caloocan’s mayoral post in the coming May elections.

But Baby’s older brother, former Caloocan City mayor Macario "Boy" Asistio, also confirmed that he is again running for mayor.

"With Baby or without baby, I will run," said Boy.

In a telephone interview with The STAR yesterday, Rep. Asistio said that he is not considering his elder brother as an adversary.

"I have no right to stop him (Boy) from running and at the same time nobody has also the right to stop me if I want to serve the people of Caloocan," Rep. Asistio said.

He said that he will just let the people of Caloocan decide his fate and that of his elder brother.

With Baby, chairman in Caloocan for UNO, were Rep. Oscar Malapitan of Nacionalista Party, who is running for reelection for the first district, former Caloocan Rep. Edgar Erice, local Liberal Party chairman, running for second district representative and Vice Mayor Luis "Tito" Varela, again running as vice mayor. Varela earlier resigned from the Lakas party.

As this developed, former mayor Reynaldo Malonzo also confirmed yesterday that he is staging a comeback.

He said that he would declare his candicady on Feb. 12, also under the opposition’s PDP Laban party.

"Definitely I’ll be running but this time it would be under the opposition," Malonzo said.

He said that he would divuldge his slate on the given date.

Malonzo, a three-termed Caloocan City mayor then under the Lakas party, ran as the city’s first district representive last election but lost.

Incumbent Mayor Enrico Echiverri remained silent on the political developments in Caloocan. – Pete Laude