GMA, FVR endorse De Venecia’s re-election bid

President Arroyo declared yesterday her all-out support for the re-election bid of Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. in the fourth district of Pangasinan, calling him "my most important ally" before almost 500 barangay officials and Sangguniang Kabataan youth leaders at a luncheon meeting in Malacañang.

Mrs. Arroyo is chairperson of the ruling Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD), while De Venecia is president, and former President Fidel V. Ramos is chairman emeritus.

Lakas-CMD is fielding 60 percent of all the 17,000 candidates throughout the country, including seven of the 12 senatorial candidates.

"We need Speaker De Venecia to lead us in the congressional and local elections nationwide," Mrs. Arroyo told the visiting barangay leaders, in the presence of Immigration Commissioner Alipio Fernandez, who is being groomed by Lakas-CMD to run for mayor of Dagupan City, the largest vote-rich area in Pangasinan’s fourth congressional district.

Also present were Mrs. Gina de Venecia and Dagupan Vice Mayor Alvin Fernandez.

Earlier, Ramos wrote a letter to Mrs. Arroyo strongly endorsing De Venecia against Dagupan City Mayor Benjie Lim, as well as incumbent congressmen Mark Cojuangco (5th District, NPC) and Conrad Estrella (6th District, NPC), retired Maj. Gen. Alberto Braganza (1st District, Lakas-CMD) Rachel Arenas (3rd District, Lakas-CMD), and Gov. Victor Agbayani (2nd District, Lakas-CMD).

For the top provincial posts, Ramos strongly endorsed Vice Gov. Oscar Lambino for governor and Mrs. Jamie Agbayani for vice governor.