Newsbreak: Presidents' men square off in Negros Occidental

By MA. ESTER L. ESPINA, Newsbreak BACOLOD CITY - Will the 2007 election be a referendum on the national rather than on local leadership? This has been the question of many Negrenses as they watch the campaign in the fifth district in southern Negros Occidental where the contenders are known to enjoy the support of two presidents. Incumbent Rep. Ignacio “Iggy" Arroyo is the brother-in-law of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. His bid is being opposed by former Rep. Apolinario “Jun" Lozada, a known protégée of former President Fidel Ramos, having served the latter as his presidential adviser for foreign affairs and appointments secretary during his term. However, with the way the campaign has been moving, having strong links with two presidents might actually be more disadvantageous rather than be a winning factor for the contenders. Arroyo maintains that having connections in Malacanang helps a lot, particularly through his brother, First Gentleman Miguel “Mike" Arroyo, who has contributed greatly in terms of projects through his “discretionary fund." But Lozada said, having the same surname as the president does not spell victory. “In fact, it is more a disadvantage to have the Arroyo name as there is so much discontent with the national leadership now among the grassroots." Lozada has served the fifth district for two consecutive terms before losing bitterly in the 2004 elections to Arroyo. He came in third, getting only 15 percent of the votes in the fifth district against Arroyo's 60 percent and Alejandro Mirasol, a former provincial board member, who got 30 percent. Lozada blamed his defeat on the Arroyo camp for allegedly spreading rumors that he took the offer of P25 million to withdraw his candidacy at the last minute. “They did it just two days before the elections when I had no time to dispute the allegations," Lozada said. This time around however, he is more prepared. In fact, Lozada said the Arroyo camp is using the same tactics once again but overlooked the timing. The former solon was referring to the text messages being circulated in his district that he is again withdrawing his bid after getting the offer of being ambassador to Jordan. Lozada, a former career officer in the foreign servce, laughed off the offer. He said, had the offer been serious at all, he should have received a letter from the President and not a message from “an emissary of Iggy Arroyo." Arroyo laughed off the rumors. Moreover, he disputed Lozada's allegation regarding the P25 million pay-off in the last elections as a “figment of his imagination." FG, generous brother “I don't think Lozada is a serious candidate," Arroyo said. He added that he does not want to go into a word-war with Lozada but would rather have his accomplishments speak for him. Among the programs he delivered for the fifth district, he is proud of the recent inauguration of the P65-million Isabela District Hospital as the first tertiary hospital in the area. The hospital was supposed to be inaugurated with President Arroyo as guest last month but was cancelled after the First Gentleman fell ill. Funds to construct the hospital were contributed from the FG's coffers, the national government, the provincial government and from Arroyo's pork barrel. Iggy Arroyo said that with one week to go before election he is still hopeful the President could visit his district. “If ever, that will be a big boost to my campaign." He admitted that he lost some campaign time when his brother underwent a major heart operation. “I had to give him all my time and I missed out on the campaign trail," he said, adding however that he knew his supporters and constituents understood. “I told Mike that the people in my district were all praying for him and he told me that as soon as he is able to be up and about, he will go to our place and personally thank the people," Iggy Arroyo added. Kampi-Lakas feud While Iggy Arroyo enjoys the support of the chief executives in his district, all is not well because of the Kampi-Lakas impasse among local candidates. In Himamaylan City alone which has 54,000 registered voters, the mayoralty post is highly contested between incumbent Mayor Carmencita Bascon, her nephew Alain Gatuslao and another niece, Alice Gatuslao. Bascon, a Kampi candidate, enjoys the support of Iggy Arroyo and Gov. Joseph Maranon as the official candidate of the United Negros Alliance coalition. Lakas candidate Alain, on the other hand, is the son of Bascon's brother, Antonio Gatuslao, who also serves as presidential adviser to Arroyo. While Iggy Arroyo maintains that the infighting between mayoralty candidates will not affect his bid, he is oftentimes dragged into the battle and while maintaining a distance, he said he has openly endorsed the candidacy of those under Kampi despite the alliance with Lakas. Arroyo, who comes from the landed Arroyo clan in Negros, also enjoys the support of the sugar bloc and in a province where hacienda votes continue to exist, his victory might not be a surprise. However, Lozada's clout among the grassroots cannot also be discounted. The former solon said that he is gaining leverage against Arroyo as gleaned from his sorties, particularly in the hinterland barangays of the fifth district. He frequently refers to his association with former President Ramos in media interviews. “If my opponent will not cheat, I have a very good chance of getting back the seat," Lozada said, adding that his camp already got reports of vote-padding, as much as 15,000 votes in Himamaylan and a noticeable increase in La Castellana and Moises Padilla towns. He said he can monitor well what will happen in Moises Padilla as that is his turf and he resides there, but continues to be fearful of the results in La Castellana especially. But Mayor Enrico Elumba said Lozada should give more credit to the integrity of the teachers in his town. Elumba who supported the former solon until Arroyo took the seat admitted that he is campaigning for the incumbent. He said there was merely an increase of about 4,000 voters in his town from 28,000 in the last elections to 32,000 for this election. Close fight But while Elumba openly endorses Iggy's candidacy, Elumba admits it's a close fight between the two. “Lozada still has a huge following. While the planters' groups are with Iggy, Lozada is more popular in the mountain barangays," Elumba said, adding that even while he was not anymore the district representative, “Lozada remained visible during town fiestas and has maintained a huge presence in the hinterlands." And while Arroyo enjoys the support of the sugar bloc, Lozada boasts too of the “silent endorsement" from the Church and progressive groups. Nevertheless, not wanting to take any chances, Lozada accepted the offer from 30 lawyers who offered to volunteer their services to him during election to prevent any cheating. As the incumbent, Arroyo also faces more issues. Over the weekend, the National Democratic Front issued a statement accusing Arroyo of hiring goons and using the military and the Revolutionary Proletarian Army rebels to ensure his victory. The RPA-ABB inked a peace pact with the government during Estrada's time and has since then enjoyed a good rapport with the authorities. But Arroyo belied the allegations saying it is actually the NDF's New People's Army who are harassing his leaders and supporters in the hinterlands of the fifth district. “I have been conducting my campaign on a higher level, and if there are victims of terrorism here, it is me and my supporters," Arroyo said. Custody battle There is some truth to this. There are less propaganda materials being spread and while Lozada could have exploited the recent controversy concerning Arroyo's bitter separation with his wife, Aleli, “that is his personal life and I don't want to attack him on that level," Lozada said. [Read Aleli's statement here.] He admitted that in the fifth district, “very few people care about the Jose Pidal issue, or of Aleli's case. Majority or about 90 percent of the population still look at performance, delivery of basic services and one's availability to the people." Lozada added that this is his edge over Arroyo. “We are still a paternalistic society and the people want their representative to be present when they need him. Apparently, Iggy spends most of his time outside of the district and this has been the constant complaint of the people." Arroyo, on the other hand, admitted that the separation with Aleli and their daughter has affected him greatly and he was thankful that Lozada was “gentleman enough to leave that issue on the side." For now, campaigning in the hinterlands is done with. Both candidates are now concentrating in the bigger poblacions with barely a week before the election. It is still anybody's ball game. But political analysts here know that if indeed Arroyo loses to Lozada, then it spells trouble not for Iggy Arroyo, but for the national leadership. On the other hand, if Arroyo wins again, it will not just be a victory in the fifth district. It might spell victory even in the House of Congress where rumor is he might bid for the House speakership. However, Arroyo laughed this one off and said, “I don't even want to think about it yet. Let me win at the local level first." - Newsbreak