Misamis Occidental KNP bet severs ties with FPJ

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – In what could be the start of a series of political turnovers in Mindanao, an opposition congressional candidate in Misamis Occidental has severed ties with Fernando Poe Jr.’s Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP) party to join the adminstration’s Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats.

"After having consulted with my political peers in the second district of Misamis Occidental, I have finally decided to support President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo because her development agenda for Mindanao and the country is more concrete, realistic and doable," said KNP congressional bet lawyer Henry Oaminal of Misamis Occidental’s second district.

Oaminal, however, readily explained that he will continue to have high respects for FPJ’s (Poe) sincerity as the opposition’s presidential standard bearer.

"But as the campaign began reaching the homestretch, I became more convinced that only the President’s development agenda will turn out to be the most effective tool in weathering the economic crunch our country is presently undergoing," Oaminal said.

Oaminal’s campaign manager, Mars Tapayan, emphasized that his shift of political loyalty to the Arroyo camp was purely due to ideological considerations.

Tapayan explained that Oaminal does not owe anything to FPJ or the opposition party since he has been spending his own money to organize and sustain his campaign in Misamis Occidental’s second district. — Bong Fabe