Cuevas-Mercado dream team in 2016?

PALAYAN CITY, Nueva Ecija–A powerhouse tandem involving Mayor Adrianne Mae Cuevas and Vice Mayor Florante Mercado is looming in 2016 amid the latter’s affirmation of support to the Cuevas administration.

The Cuevas-Mercado dream team is a possibility after both politicians said they are open to a team-up.

This after Mercado assured Cuevas he would continue to support her administration and her programs and won’t seek the mayorship for as long as she is the local chief executive.

Earlier, Mercado denied reports his father, former Makati City vice mayor Nestor is considering to run for mayor in this city to challenge Cuevas’ reelection bid. He said these are mere speculations.

          “It’s not impossible. If he wants to be with me,” Cuevas said, responding to a question of whether Mercado could be her running mate in 2016.

          Asked the same question, Mercado replied : “puwede naman (it’s feasible).”

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.

          Mercado said he will never fight Cuevas nor oppose her programs because he has never seen anything wrong in what she is doing.

          Cuevas said she liked and appreciated what Mercado said. “I also believe that he trusts in what I do,” she said, adding this inspires her to work harder in her job as mayor.

          She also mentioned that she and Mercado appear to have chemistry. “We are working together very well,” she observed. (Manny Galvez)