No LP funds for Braganza’s Guv’s bid - Agbayani

By Arian Bermas

 The chairman of the Liberal Party in Pangasinan declared recently among media men that the national party has no fund to bankroll the gubernatorial bid of Hernani Braganza and his ticket in the province. Former Governor Victor Agbayani said that the LP will only provide for the expenses of the party’s watchers in the May 13, 2013 poll.
Agbayani , in a press conference in a restaurant in Dagupan City, told the media that he quitted as the campaign manager of Alaminos City Mayor Braganza for the governorship.
The announcement sent shock waves among observers in Pangasinan politics, especially Braganza’s camp which crowed to the unwary voters about Malacanang’s full support to it’s gubernatorial campaign.
 Agbayani who lost in a landslide victory to then reelectionist Gov. Amado T. Espino, Jr. in the 2010 gubernatorial polls, announced his withdrawal of support to Braganza in a press conference last Saturday (Feb. 2).
 The former governor, however, told the media he remains as the LP’s chair in the province and will help campaign for President Benigno Aquino III’s senatorial bets in the mid-year polls which, political analysts say, is in preparation for the 2016 presidential elections.
The LP has announced its choice for Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Mar Roxas as the party’s bet in the next presidential elections.
 In a short talk with newsmen last week in La Union, Secretary Hermino “Sonny” Coloma of the Presidential Communications Group for Operations, intimated that Malacanang prefers to focus its support on the LP’s senatorial bets. “Local politics could be divisive and adversely affects the senatorial campaign,” Coloma said.
Agbayani said he dropped as Braganza’s campaign manager to “give him (Braganza) more leeway and free-hand in the campaign.”
He pointed out that Braganza could be more efficient to carry on the campaign “all by himself.” “He doesn’t need a campaign manager.
 He’s taking the initiatives on his personal efforts,” the former governor said. Anyway, Agbayani stressed, Braganza has three groups to unite in his campaign, namely that of LP vice-gubernatorial bet Arturo Lomibao, the Pangasi-NANI movement and the LP.
 Political observers view Agbayani’s backing out as Braganza’s campaign manager as a “serious shakedown in the party’s local campaign, revealing as it does, differences in leadership.” “Agbayani rises up civilly to issues by not resorting to demagoguery,” one observer said.