Admin bets grumble over party’s lack of funding

By Charlie V. Manalo and Aytch S. de la Cruz

03/12/2010

A senatorial candidate of the administration Lakas-Kampi-CMD, along with one of its key members, has called on the party’s national executive committee to convene immediately and resolve the grumbling over the apparent lack of logistical support which they said could erode the grassroots support for their national candidates in the May 10 elections.

Speaking at the Usaping Balita News Forum held at the Serye Restaurant in Quezon City, Manila yesterday, Rep. Bienvenido Abante, the Lakas-Kampi-CMD’s Manila chairman, lamented that the party has failed to draw a game plan that would make their candidates competitive in the coming polls.

“Immediately, there should be a meeting of the national executive committee and (it should) draw the battle plan because it did not say what we (candidates) were supposed to do,” Abante said.

Lawyer Raul Lambino, one of the party’s senatorial bets, who incidentally is campaigning on a slogan of knowing the sentiments of the public reeling from poverty, said he was also at a loss as to where the funds supposed to be given to the administration candidates were.

“I certainly feel extreme difficulty in the conduct of campaign,” he said in Filipino.

Lakas-Kampi-CMD is headed by its standard-bearer in the may polls, Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro as chairman, and Saranggani province Gov. Miguel “Migs” Dominguez as president.

Earlier, Lambino and former Justice Secretary Silvestre Bello III had lamented the scarcity of television and newspaper advertisements and campaign posters for the national candidates of the administration party.

Lambino also underscored the need for an immediate meeting of the national leadership of the Lakas-Kampi-CMD, noting that the one that was held in Antipolo City last February 9, where their entire national candidates were in attendance, was only a kick-off rally.

He, however, said despite the shortcomings of the party, he will not withdraw from the race.

When asked if he sees the lack of funding by their mother party having an effect on the allegiance of the Lakas-Kampi-CMD’s local candidates, Abante replied: “Yes, it could...The loyalty now of the local officials depend on who would help them (in their campaigns).

He said the national leadership of the administration party needs to start pouring resources to its local candidates so that it can support its national bets.

“As I have said, everyone is running their own campaign at the local level, and, of course, (a candidate) needs to secure himself more than anything else. The logistics should go down. The total, full support of the national leadership should go down to the local level,” he stressed.

In learning of this, Malacañang said it can only sympathize with the administration candidates.

Deputy presidential spokesman Gary Olivar said the Palace cannot just step in and try to sort out the problems besetting the administration party as the party’s officials and members should work them out by themselves.

“If these (administration poll bets’ complaints on the lack of funding) are true, I guess we should sympathize with them (candidates) and we hope that they can come up with proper accommodation from whoever their advisers may be…the party’s standard-bearer and the campaign staff should make sure that their candidates won’t be wanting in funds (for their campaign)…,” Olivar said.

Lakas-Kampi-CMD deputy secretary general Rey Roquero, however said although the party is having problems with finances, its funds at the moment is stable.

He, though, said giving funds to the administration bets for them to be able to have campaign ads on television is right now difficult for the party to do.

“We admit that our funds for television ads are really inadequate to sustain a campaign unlike (Nacionalista Party standard-bearer) Manny Villar,” Roquero said in a phone interview with the Tribune.

He said this could be a big factor in Teodoro having been constantly lagging in the surveys of favored presidential contenders.

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