700, led by town mayor, join Marcos party in ‘free zone’ Zamboanga Sibugay

ZAMBOANGA SIBUGAY, Philippines – About 700 people joined the political party of dictator’s son Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. in Zamboanga Sibugay over the weekend.

The new Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP) members, who took their oath on Sunday, April 3, were led by Kabasalan Mayor Katrina Balladares, the only local chief executive in Zamboanga Sibugay so far to declare support for Marcos Jr. in a province where many officials are having second thoughts about the prospects of a Marcos presidency.

The 15 other town mayors have opted to keep mum about their preference for president in a province where the campaign of Marcos Jr.s’ rival, presidential bet Vice President Leni Robredo, has continued to pick up steam.

Robredo beat Marcos Jr. during the race for the vice presidency in Zamboanga Sibugay in the 2016 elections. Zamboanga del Sur was the only province in the Zamboanga Peninsula where Marcos won in the vice presidential race.

Balladares is a political ally of Zamboanga Sibugay 1st District Representative Wilter “Sharky” Palma II who is seeking to succeed his father and namesake as governor of the province. 

Palma is the Lakas-CMD gubernatorial candidate in Zamboanga Sibugay. While his party has adopted Marcos Jr. as its standard-bearer, Palma declared the province a “free zone” when it comes to the presidential race.

In an earlier interview, Palma said his group allowed town mayors supporting his gubernatorial bid to choose the presidential candidate they wish to support.

Balladares, who is seeking reelection under Lakas-CMD, said the mass oath-taking of new PFP members showed that her town was “red,” and united for Marcos. She said she chose Marcos Jr. because she believed his presidency would bring progress and development to her town.

The mayor is a scion of the Cainglet family whose members have a long history as elected officials in the town since 1937 when its first mayor, Gregorio Cainglet Sr., was appointed by the then-president Manuel Quezon. He was mayor until 1951 and his son Gregorio Jr. was elected mayor in the 1980s.

Balladares’ reelection bid is being challenged by her cousins from the Cainglet clan, Luvly and Gia, who have also kept mum about their presidential candidates of their choice. Luvly is Kabalasan’s vice mayor. – Rappler.com

Antonio Manaytay is a Mindanao-based journalist and an awardee of the Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship.