PALAYAN CITY, Nueva Ecija – Vice Mayor
Florante Mercado has denied reports that his father, former Makati City vice
mayor Nestor Mercado is gunning for mayor in this city to challenge the
reelection bid of Mayor Adrianne Mae Cuevas even as he reaffirmed his and the
Sangguniang Panglungsod’s support to the executive agenda and programs of the
local chief executive.
Speaking
during an out-of-town meeting with Cuevas, city councilors and barangay
chairmen in Baler, Aurora, Mercado dismissed as sheer speculations that his
father would make a political comeback by seeking the mayorship in this
provincial capital.
“This
issue of my father running for mayor of Palayan is farthest from the truth. He
no longer want to re-enter politics,” he said.
The
younger Mercado issued his statement after word spread that the elder Mercado
is planning a comeback after his aborted mayoral run in Makati City
Cuevas and the
younger Mercado belong to rival political parties. Cuevas is a partymate of
Gov. Aurelio Umali at the Liberal Party and its local party Unang Sigaw Partido
ng Pagbabago while Mercado ran for vice mayor under the Nationalist People’s
Coalition and the local party Bagong Lakas ng Nueva Ecija of the Josons.
Both won by
landslides in last May’s elections. Cuevas defeated former three-term
congressman Pacifico Fajardo by some 4,500 votes while Mercado clobbered Cuevas’ running mate,
former three-term mayor Romeo Capinpin by 2,900 votes.
Nestor
was once a staunch ally of Binay’s father, Vice President Jejomar Binay. He was
his running mate for three terms.
When
the elder Binay’s term as mayor was to expire in 2010 due to the three-term
limit, Nestor started to campaign for mayor but Jejomar suddenly fielded his
son.
The
younger Mercado said his father was already committed so he went on with his
mayoral bid out of principles.
In
his case, the younger Mercado said he will never fight Cuevas and that for as
long as the latter remains as mayor, the position he will be seeking is that of
vice mayor.
“I
will never fight you. It’s because I have never seen anything wrong in what you
are telling us to do,” he said of Cuevas as political leaders and city hall
personnel cheered. Also in the audience was Cuevas’ husband, Bong.
Mercado
told the audience to disabuse their minds of the thought that he and his camp
is planning to contest the city’s top post. He said he and Cuevas have no
disagreements, real or imagined.
He
recalled that before he entered City Hall after they won last year, he told
Cuevas “You are the mayor, You are the one to be followed,” he said.
He
also said that his absence in certain official functions of Cuevas was no
indication that he was distancing himself from her. “The truth of the matter
was that I was tending to my business so I was not able to go with her,” he
said.
Mercado
also defended himself and the SP from criticisms and complaints that they are
blocking certain requests forwarded for approval, particularly by some barangay
chairmen.
“Some
say I was blocking all requests forwarded to the SP. I have no right to do
that. As a presiding officer, I just bang the gavel. So it’s not true that
there are pending requests in our office,” he said.
Mercado
said some of the requests take some time before they get approved because the
SP deliberate on them. “We have a process to be followed. We are just doing our
job. We have to do it because it will be subject for review by the Sangguniang
Panlalawigan,” he explained.
Mercado
reiterated that for him, elections are just one day, saying he will not
politicize development.
He said the
issue of majority and minority is no longer relevant in the 10-man SP, saying
the programs of the sitting mayor deserve the support of everyone, especially
if this involves the welfare of majority of Palayanos. – Manny Galvez
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