Ally eyes Padaca’s gubernatorial post

10/22/2009

GAMU, Isabela — Rep. Edwin Uy, whose third congressional term ends next year, was nominated by the Isabela Lakas-CMD as its gubernatorial candidate for next year’s polls.

Uy is a close ally of Isabela Gov. Grace Padaca. He is now on official business in China with Speaker Prospero Nograles.

With Uy’s nomination to the gubernatorial post, the Lakas members left open the possibility of Padaca’s seeking Uy’s congressional seat.

The Isabela Lakas and Padaca had forged an informal alliance since 2004 when she surprisingly won by a landslide over then Gov. Faustino Dy Jr., ending the Dy family’s 40-year hold on power here.

The Lakas members, in a provincial caucus held at Gamu Mayor Fernando Cumigad’s residence upon orders of the national officialdom of the merged Lakas-Kampi-CMD, also endorsed other possible party candidates, among them Cabinet Secretary Silvestre Bello III for congressman of the province’s first district, and Vice Gov. Ramon Reyes for congressman of the province’s third district.

Cumigad said he hoped that the governor, a member of the Liberal Party, would accept the nomination for her to run for congressman as their guest candidate. He added, however, that in case she decided to run for the Senate under the LP, they would be obliged to “campaign for her no matter what the party officials say, since she is an Isabelino.”

Cumigad stressed however that a possibility of Uy and Padaca running against each other “will never happen.”

The party members also postponed the decision on a nominee for congressman of the fourth district, although it appeared that Santiago City Vice Mayor Alvin Abaya had the upper hand for the nomination.

Nominees for the cities of Santiago and Cauayan were also named, he added. Ted Boehnert

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