TUGUEGARAO CITY – The Liberal Party (LP) has
finally laid down its card in the Cagayan gubernatorial race, fielding
three-term Tuao town mayor William Mamba against Enrile-backed re-electionist
Gov. Alvaro Antonio.
Cagayan election officer Catherine Allas said
Mamba filed his certificate of candidacy as LP candidate last Dec. 18, or three
days before Friday’s deadline for
substitution of candidates.
Mamba is running in place of Apolonio Serrano
Valleros, said to be a close aide of his elder brother, former three-term
congressman Manuel Mamba, now the presidential legislative affairs
adviser.
“We have stronger chances this time with the
many controversial issues haunting the provincial administration such as black
sand mining,” said the elder Mamba.
The former congressman was defeated in the
2010 gubernatorial race by then second-term-seeking Antonio of the Team Cagayan
of Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, who hails from Gonzaga town.
Team Cagayan comprises various political
parties such as the Nationalist People’s Coalition and United Nationalist
Alliance under whose banner Enrile’s son, first district Rep. Juan “Jack” Ponce
Enrile Jr., is running for senator.
The elder Mamba, whose wife, former
presidential youth affairs adviser Mabel Mamba, was appointed by President
Aquino as director of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, expects the
full backing of the administration party for his brother.
The younger Mamba’s vice gubernatorial
running mate is former OIC governor Melvin Vargas, brother of second district
Rep. Baby Aline Vargas-Alfonso. The Vargas siblings are children of the late
long-time governor and congressman Florencio Vargas.
Vargas is up against three-term-seeking Vice
Gov. Leonides Faustino, a relative of the Mambas but whose ties with the clan
soured when he opted to side with Antonio in the 2010 polls.
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