President refrains from endorsing son

PORAC, Pampanga — In her third campaign sortie to this province yesterday, President Arroyo again refrained from endorsing the candidacy of her eldest son, Mikey, who is running for vice governor.

She instead urged the local folk to write down the name of Sen. Wigberto Tañada on top of their Senate choices, echoing a similar call by former President Corazon Aquino.

The President was here yesterday to lead the ground-breaking for a P320.5-million bridge at the upper section of the P1.4-billion anti-lahar megadike at the Pasig-Potrero River in Barangay Mancatian here.

The original bridge connecting Angeles City to this town was swept by lahar flows in 1991.

Mikey was among the President’s welcomers, but she never referred to him during her short speech on a makeshift stage after the ground-breaking.

Earlier, Mikey said his mother had vowed not to intervene in his political plans in this province.

During the President’s campaign sorties to Pampanga last Feb. 29 and on her birthday last April 5, she endorsed senatorial candidates of the People Power Coalition, but never her son.

Mikey, however, is expected to become Pampanga’s next vice governor after his rival, movie actor Roi Vinzon of the Nationalist People’s Coalition-Buklod Ka—pampangan, backed out to give way to his candidacy.

The 300-meter bridge will largely be funded by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation. — Ding Cervantes