INQUIRER.net Eleksyon 2007

Ex-administration ally among 100 GO bets for House seats

INQUIRER.net

Maila Ager

MANILA, Philippines -- The Genuine Opposition has announced 100 candidates who will be running for congressional seats in the May elections, including one who had been known as an administration ally at the House of Representatives.

A partial list of GO's candidates for the House released to the media showed that Manila Representative Jaime “Jimmy” Lopez would be joining the opposition.

Lopez is a member of the ruling Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats and chairman of the House committee on banks.

The list also includes the wife of GO senatorial bet Alan Peter Cayetano and the spouses of outgoing congressman Joey Hizon, and ex-congressman Harry Angpin.

Other GO nominees are former congressman Chuck Mathay, reelectionists Quezon City Representative Vicente “Bingbong” Crisologo, and Muntinlupa Representative Rufino Biazon, a member of the Liberal Party.

GO spokesman Adel Tamano expressed confidence that they would be able to field 90 percent of all local positions for the May polls.

“I was just in talks with the executive committee of the Genuine Opposition and they have authorized me to say that come March, when all the local candidates have already filed their certificate of candidacies, the GO will be able to field at least 90 percent of all positions,” Tamano said during a press conference Monday.

San Juan Mayor Jose Victor “JV” Ejercito, GO's campaign manager, said they expected more administration allies to joining their bandwagon in the coming days.

But since May 14 is a midterm and not a presidential election, Ejercito said they did not expect 70 to 80 percent of local officials to abandon the administration.

“When they see the bandwagon later on, of course I believe that we can expect a lot more officials to join us especially in the final stretch,” he said.

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