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Political groups in Cebu’s 6th district allied with the administration yesterday agreed to stop issuing statements on their disagreements on whom to endorse as the successor of Rep. Nerissa Soon-Ruiz.
Cebu Provincial Board Member Victor Maambong, who is interested in the 6th district congressional seat in the 2010, said their silence was not the result of a gag order by Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia.
“We just agreed that we would no longer make comments on the weaknesses or the strengths of the recommendation,” Maambong said.
Maambong said the governor asked her allies for time to come up with a policy in the selection of party candidates in next year’s election.
Soon-Ruiz, who is on her last term as congresswoman, earlier endorsed Mandaue City Vice Mayor Carlo Fortuna as her candidate for the congressional post.
She said she had consulted partymates including the Ouano family.
Maambong and former mayor Thadeo Ouano met Garcia in a meeting last week to complain that they were not consulted.
Soon-Ruiz later admitted that her endorsement of Fortuna was a personal decision, and was based on the “equity of the incumbent” principle, wherein the sitting official gets the right to endorse a probable successor.
Sources said Soon-Ruiz, who plans to run for mayor of Mandaue City, endorsed Fortuna to run for Congress so that she would get the liberty to choose a running mate for the Mandaue elections.
The source said Soon-Ruiz may ask someone from the Quisumbing family of Mandaue to run for vice mayor under her banner.
Maambong suggested that party allies agree on making the 6th district congressional seat a “free zone,” wherein anyone in the party who is interested in the post may run.
Maambong, Fortuna and Soon-Ruiz belong to One Cebu-Kampi.
Garcia called for a meeting among her allies last Saturday to discuss the party’s concerns.
“It’s still status quo,” said Maambong, explaining that Soon-Ruiz’s endorsement of Fortuna stays for now.
The party, however, acceded to the governor’s request for all of them to refrain from issuing statements to the media “while the governor comes up with a policy on our selection process.”
“We will all obey the governor because everybody requested for her guidance and everybody will have to comply with whatever was agreed on during the meeting.
“The governor wants that we maintain party unity. We remain as One Cebu,” he said.
