Domingo to run for City of San Fernando mayor

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga — Immigration Commissioner Andrea Domingo said she is determined "to go home" and leave her post.

Going home for her is running for mayor of this city where she was born 54 years ago. And she is set to go home with her 35-year-old son Eric, who is also set to leave his post as assistant secretary of the Department of Health and run for congressman in this province’s third district in next year’s elections.

Domingo announced her political plans in a television show hosted by the Pampanga Press Club on the Angeles City Cable Television Network.

She expressed optimism that she would be named an official candidate of the administration party, the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD).

"I served as congresswoman in the 9th Congress under Lakas. My principle in politics is to stay where I started. When the administration party was formed in 1992, I was with it, along with its original 36 members of Congress," she said.

Her statement was an apparent blow to administration Rep. Oscar Rodriguez, who has also made known his plan to run for mayor of this capital city after giving way to Gov. Lito Lapid’s son Mark in the gubernatorial race.

Domingo expressed confidence that the Lakas-CMD will choose her as its official mayoral bet in this city. She, however, admitted that she is a member of the party’s directorate and that "the last time I heard, I am still the (party’s chairman) in the third district."

The third district covers the towns of Arayat, Sta. Ana, Mexico and Bacolor, and this city.

Domingo said Rodriguez has been noted to change parties. "He changed parties according to what suited him," she said, noting that during the 2001 elections, her son Eric abandoned his congressional bid upon the request of President Arroyo to give way to Rodriguez.

"That was what the party wanted and we have remained loyal to the party," she said.

"Our supporters were so disappointed and we prevented them from supporting the opposition candidate and (urged them to) back him (Rodriguez) instead. He even asked to meet with our leaders in my home in San Fernando to get their support and we organized the meeting," she recalled.

Asked if she would stay on as immigration commissioner should the President ask her to, Domingo said, "I really want to go home and have the opportunity to serve my cabalens in San Fernando."

She added that all members of the President’s official family are "dispensable" anyway.

The clash between Domingo and Rodriguez is expected to give Lakas-CMD leaders a major problem. As early as a year ago, Rodriguez had already made known his desire to run for governor as Lapid, already in his third and last term, had bared his plan to seek the mayorship of Angeles City.

But amid reports that the President had already assured Lapid of her support for his son Mark’s gubernatorial bid, Rodriguez yielded to the demand of prominent leaders here to run for mayor instead.

Rodriguez was one of the prosecution lawyers in the Senate impeachment trial of former President Joseph Estrada.

This city’s mayor, Reynaldo Aquino, who is also on his last term, will run for congressman against Domingo’s son. Vice Mayor Tiger Lagman is reportedly also interested in running for mayor.