SORSOGON CITY, Philippines – At a time when local politicians are finally choosing which party or presidential candidate to support come 2016, incumbent officials in Sorsogon, led by Governor Raul Lee, said they would be supporting administration standard-bearer Manuel “Mar” Roxas II. 

“We are confident. This is the first time na tinipon namin at hindi ito maghihiwa-hiwalay. Bago ma- declare iyong mga presidentiable, ano na, tapos na ang nasa isip nitong mga taong ito (This is the first time that we gathered and nobody will jump ship. Even before any presidentiable declared his or her candidacy, these people had already made up their minds),” Lee said on Friday, September 18, on the sidelines of a political sortie for Roxas.

But consider the province of Sorsogon’s politicians and voters different from others who have pledged to support the ruling Liberal Party (LP) in 2016. Even as they promise to support Roxas, their vote for vice president will go to a province-mate and candidate on a different ticket. 

“Naiiba ang Sorsogon sa ibang province. Tagarito sa amin si Senator Chiz [Escudero] (It’s different in Sorsogon. Senator Chiz Escudero comes from here),” provincial administrator Robert Lee Rodrigueza, son of the incumbent governor, said. 

Roxas went to Sorsogon City a day after Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero announced he would be running for vice president alongside Senator Grace Poe, who is running for president. During the gathering at the Sorsogon Provincial Gymnasium, 120 barangay kagawads, 14 vice mayors, and 11 mayors – all from Sorsogon – switched to the ruling party for 2016.

Escudero country

Regional ties run deep in Philippine politics. Escudero once represented the first district of Sorsogon in Congress before he ran for senator. His father, former Agriculture chief Salvador Escudero, who has passed away, once represented the province in Congress. 

Escudero’s mother Evelina is the incumbent first district representative of the province. The senator’s uncle, Antonio Escudero Jr, is currently the vice governor of Sorsogon.  

Rodrigueza said even if they support Escudero in 2016, it doesn’t mean they are not fully allied with the ruling LP. “Ibahin ang Sorsogon with regards to that issue. Compared sa ibang province, may kumakandidato kami dito bilang vice president, si Senator Chiz Escudero. Given na iyon[g supporta namin]. Pero ang paniniwala namin sa Tuwid na Daan ay iyon ang paninindigan ng mga taga-Sorsogon,” he said. 

(Consider Sorsogon different when it comes to picking a vice president. Unlike other provinces, there is someone from the province who is running for vice president, Senator Chiz Escudero. Our support is a given. But our belief in Tuwid na Daang is something we from Sorsogon stand by.)

Rodrigueza’s father, the incumbent governor, ran under the opposition coalition United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) in 2013. UNA has since turned into a party as a vehicle for Vice President Jejomar Binay’s presidential bid. 

In the 2010 elections, Escudero supported then presidential candidate Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III but not Roxas, his running mate at the time. Instead, he supported Binay, the vice presidential candidate of former president Joseph Estrada. Escudero went for “Noy-Bi”, short-cut for Noynoy-Binay.  

That the Lees of Sorsogon are set to support Escudero in 2016 strengthens Albay Governor Joey Salceda’s worry of a “divided” Bicol in 2016. Roxas and the LP’s officials have officially offered the vice presidential post to another Bicol politician, Camarines Sur Representative Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo. 

Salceda, in a phone interview with Rappler, said that while as a “party man” he will support Robredo, he worries about its effects on the region, which is known to rally behind a solitary candidate. “It will divide Bicol and a divided Bicol is not important to the administration. It is a division that Bicol does not need at all,” he said.  

Rodrigueza refused to speculate on what would happen should Robredo accept the LP’s offer. 

“Wala pa namang balita kung ano talaga. Basta yung ngayon, lumalabas na si Senator Chiz palang ang from Bicol na (There’s no final news yet. But for now, it’s only Senator Chiz from Bicol) who’s running for vice president,” he said.  

Lee, who is set to retire from politics after the 2016 elections, said the issue of who Sorsogon will support for vice president should be left alone, lest it “affect” the candidate of Roxas. Rodrigueza is set to run for governor in 2016 as well. – Rappler.com