BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya , Philippines – Supposedly to preserve his family’s political foothold in Cagayan, Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile is reportedly considering the governorship in the 2016 elections.
A prominent Cagayan politician, who asked not to be identified, said Enrile, who is now on his last term as senator, is eyeing Cagayan’s top post to maintain his family’s political influence.
The post is currently held by Gov. Alvaro Antonio, an Enrile protégé who is now on his third and final term.
Enrile, 89, hails from Gonzaga town in Cagayan’s first congressional district where he and his son and namesake, Juan “Jack†Ponce Enrile, also served as congressman.
The young Enrile’s wife, Sally, is now the district’s representative.
A reliable source said Enrile’s son hosted a meeting with the mayors in the first congressional district at his Quezon City residence last Friday allegedly as part of a “loyalty check†in connection with his father’s reported gubernatorial bid.
Antonio, according to the source, also attended the meeting.
The source said Enrile is also considering his son for the governorship, but the latter is more interested in giving the Senate another try.
The young Enrile lost his Senate bid in the last May elections. He ran under the United Nationalist Alliance that his father, Vice President Jejomar Binay and former president, now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada formed.