Makati village chiefs support vice mayoral candidate

MANILA, Philippines - Support to the mayoralty bid of Makati Vice Mayor Ernesto Mercado continues to grow with 23, out of 33 barangay leaders, were among the latest to declare support for him, Mercado’s spokesman Chito Salud said yesterday.

Salud said the village leaders undermined the harassment they are receiving, such as threats of reprisal if they do not remove Mercado’s campaign materials from their homes or even traffic violation citations from the city hall’s Makati Public Safety (MAPSA) or the Makati Parking Authority departments.

“I think our efforts are beginning to pay off. Twenty three barangay chairmen have openly declared support for the vice mayor and the harassment they have been receiving is strong proof that our edge has increased,” Salud said.

Salud thanked village leaders for standing up for what they believe in. He urged them to be vigilant during the May 10 elections to prevent what they experienced in previous elections.

Mercado said this is the first election in over two decades that the Binay family did not enjoy the support of the majority of barangay officials in the city. “After 23 years and seven elections, this time you can predict their downfall. Now, 23 out of 33 village chiefs openly speak against them,” Mercado said. Mercado also said that 75 percent of the city’s barangay councillors and youth council (Sangguniang Kabataan) chairmen are openly behind him.

Mercado urged his rivals to refrain from sowing a climate of fear in the city, saying that city residents can see through attempts to sabotage the elections by sowing confusion and preventing voters from casting their ballots on May 10.