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Padaca’s group urges Pampanga folk: Reject recall-Panlilio move

SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga – Isabela Gov. Grace Padaca, Ramon Magsaysay awardee for government service, and other local officials who have formed the group Kaya Natin! have called on Pampanga folk to reject the move to recall Gov. Eddie Panlilio from his post.

This, as the recall initiative seems to have triggered a war of signatures.

As of noon yesterday, Panlilio’s supporters who launched an online signature campaign (ipetitions.com) had already garnered 1,228 digital signatures. Among the signatories identified themselves as Solita Collas-Monsod and Susan A. Roces.

On the other hand, Rosve Henson, president of the Kapanalig at Kambilan ning Memalen Pampanga (Kambilan) which launched the recall move last week, said his group has started its signature drive in all of Pampanga’s 21 towns.

While Henson could not say how many have already signed their recall petition, he said that from their original 5,000 members last week, they have issued 1,000 more identification cards for new signatories.

“Each of these members has been asked to gather as many signatures as they can, but we are doing this very carefully so that all the requirements of the Commission on Elections will be complied with,” he said.

In a statement, Padaca’s group said, “We believe that this attempt to recall him is politically motivated and would only serve to benefit the vested interests of a few politicians in Pampanga.”
The group described itself as a “movement for genuine change and ethical leadership.”

“We urge the people of Pampanga not to support the recall initiative. We ask the Kapampangans to give Gov. Panlilio a chance to fully serve his term and continue the reforms that he has begun,” it added.

One Harvey Keh, a supporter of Panlilio, started the digital signature drive against the recall move on the Internet.

His e-mail is being passed on by Panlilio’s supporters to solicit more signatures not only from Pampanga but also from other parts of the country and apparently, even from Filipinos abroad.
Addressing “fellow Filipinos” in his e-mail, Keh said the recall move was “started by people closely affiliated with Lilia Pineda, the gubernatorial candidate that Gov. Panlilio defeated and wife of alleged jueteng lord Bong Pineda.”

“If you will recall, just last month, Gov. Panlilio courageously filed plunder charges against Bong Pineda for his alleged involvement in jueteng operations and payoffs in Pampanga. If they succeed in doing this, we can expect that Pampanga will once again go back to the dark ages of patronage politics that has led to the propagation of graft. We cannot just sit back, relax and allow a good and upright Filipino leader to fail. We cannot allow evil to ultimately prevail.”

“We cannot allow Gov. Eddie Panlilio to be recalled,” he added, urging Filipinos to sign up in support of Panlilio at ipetitions.com/petition/supportgovpanlilio.

“While we are aware that there are escalating problems in Pampanga such as the continuing conflict between Gov. Panlilio and the Provincial Board, the unresolved issue on the striking Balas quarry workers and the calls for the resignation of the current provincial administrator, among others, we believe that a genuine effort to resolve them will be more beneficial to the Kapampangans than a political exercise that will further polarize and divide the community,” Kaya Natin! said in its statement.

It further said: “We also recognize that there are members of the civil society, church groups, business organizations and supporters of Gov. Panlilio that have expressed disappointment with his performance during the past year.”

“Thus, while we continue to support Gov. Panlilio’s crusade to promote good governance in his province, we also believe that he should listen to the voices of these groups and work at immediately addressing and resolving these growing concerns in order for him to become a more effective governor,” it added.

Noting that “reforms do not come easy” and “require continuing engagements between the provincial leadership and the other stakeholders in the locality,” Kaya Natin! said, “We do believe that given time, Gov. Panlilio’s initiatives will ultimately result in better delivery of basic services to his constituents.”

“We ask all Kapampangans to be patient with Gov. Panlilio because we believe that despite the current situation, he is at the moment still the best person who can govern the province in an effective and ethical manner,” it said.

It added: “Should there be a need, the members of Kaya Natin! are willing to help organize and/or facilitate a dialogue between Gov. Panlilio and disgruntled members of the civil society, business groups, people’s organizations and his former supporters in Pampanga.”

Apart from Padaca, the signatories to the Kaya Natin! statement included Naga City Mayor Jesse Robredo, Ifugao Gov. Teddy Baguilat Jr., and San Isidro, Nueva Ecija Mayor Sonia Lorenzo. -- DC