House minority leader and Quezon 3rd district Rep. Danilo Suarez answers questions from the local media at the press conference held at D...
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| House minority leader and Quezon 3rd district Rep. Danilo Suarez answers questions from the local media at the press conference held at Diamond Resort and Hotel in Lucena city. Beside him is Quezon provincial government information officer Janet Geneblazo. (JOHN BELLO) |
LUCENA CITY – House minority floor leader and Quezon 3rd district Rep. Danilo Suarez rationalized about the existence of political dynasty in the country branding it more as ‘destiny’ while stressing that political term limit is the cause of political dynasty.
“What is the cause of political dynasty? The cause of political dynasty is term limit. Look at me, I began to run in 1992 until 1998, if there is no term limit, no other will run. So because of the term limit, I was forced to ask Mommy to run in my district. . . . At the end of the day, tao ang nag-i-elect s’yo, so it’s more like destiny,” the 75 yrs. old political kingpin in the province so-called Bondoc Peninsula told the media on Saturday after attending a high school reunion, batch 1958, at the Diamond Resort and Hotel here.
Suarez was referring to his wife, Aleta, who twice has held his post for 1 term after his full 3 congressional terms ended in 1998 and then in 2007 as mandated by the 1987 Constitution on congressional term limit. He is now in his 2nd term and raring to ran for governor in 2019 to replace his son, Gov. David ‘Jayjay’ Suarez who is in his last term.
The former congresswoman was seated with the local media practitioners as they grilled the elder Suarez with various questions about local and national issues.
The veteran House minority leader was reacting to the accusation that he is the head of the political dynasty in Quezon province, among other allegations of various local issues against the Suarez family hurled by 3 local newsmen whom he, his wife and son governor, and 3 other provincial government executive assistants, have sued for multiple libel for allegedly mounting daily malicious attacks in the trio’s daily radio and television program ‘Usapang Lalaki’.
The Suarezes along with executive assistants Rommel Edano, Webster Letargo, and Juanito Diaz have filed almost similar complaint-affidavits in various courts in Quezon and Makati cities and here in Lucena city against journalists Johnny Glorioso of DZMM, Gemi Formaran of People’s Journal and Rico Catampungan of DZEL for their radio and television program which aired daily describing it as nothing but a ‘smear production program’ doing a political and personal demolition job against them.
The trio claim that aside from the elder Suarez, his wife and son, who is the incumbent governor, 2 other sons hold government positions - 3rd district provincial board member Donaldo Suarez and Unisan vice mayor Danilo Suarez Jr.
“Look, how we are being continuously vilified and cursed, calling us, ‘tarantado’, ‘gago’, ‘p-ina’ and you are living witness how we are being demonized and endlessly badmouthed in their radio program so we got fed up and sued them,” he told the local mediamen.
On Feb. 10, Glorioso, Formaran and Catampungan posted bail of P10,000 each in Tayabas city when a warrant of arrest was issued against them by a Quezon city prosecutor based on the complaint of multiple libel filed by Suarez. The next day, the trio went anew in their tirades in their radio program against the Suarezes, claiming harassment and suppression of their right to press freedom.
Suarez has described his own family’s political dynasty as ‘positive dynasty’ for Quezon province taking exception from the description of ‘fat political dynasty’ as declared in a study by Dean Ronald Mendoza of the Ateneo School of Government who said that worsening poverty can be attributed to ‘fat political dynasties’ in poor provinces.
Mendoza said that fat political dynasties have more than 2 family members occupying government offices and they could be found in the provinces of Bulacan, Batangas, Lanao del Sur, Lanao del Norte, Ilocos Sur and Maguindanao.
The 1987 Constitution bans political dynasties but Congress has so far failed to pass an enabling law against political dynasty.
“If Suarez is a political dynasty to Quezon, I think, it is a positive dynasty. Ang tinitingnan lang kasi ng mga tao ay yung nananalo, hindi yung natatalo. At the end of the day, political dynasty really is destiny,” Suarez reiterated and responded to other issues and questions of the media such as the declared ban of sending overseas Filipino workers by Pres. Duterte to Kuwait in the aftermath of the death of domestic helper Joanna Demafelis of Iloilo city, the negative effect of Tax Reform Acceleration and Inclusion law to the masses, federalism, charter change, local politics and the proposed redistricting House bill which adds 3 more to the existing 4 congressional districts of the province.
Local political observers claim the Alcala family as the other prominent political dynasty in Quezon province as it includes 2nd district Rep. Vicente Alcala; his brother ex-agriculture secretary and ex-congressman Proceso Alcala; his nephew, incumbent city mayor Roderick Alcala; and brother, 2nd district provincial board member Hermilando Alcala Jr.
Also considered as prominent local political dynasties in Quezon include the political families of Tañada and Talaga who lost in the last elections.
“What is the cause of political dynasty? The cause of political dynasty is term limit. Look at me, I began to run in 1992 until 1998, if there is no term limit, no other will run. So because of the term limit, I was forced to ask Mommy to run in my district. . . . At the end of the day, tao ang nag-i-elect s’yo, so it’s more like destiny,” the 75 yrs. old political kingpin in the province so-called Bondoc Peninsula told the media on Saturday after attending a high school reunion, batch 1958, at the Diamond Resort and Hotel here.
Suarez was referring to his wife, Aleta, who twice has held his post for 1 term after his full 3 congressional terms ended in 1998 and then in 2007 as mandated by the 1987 Constitution on congressional term limit. He is now in his 2nd term and raring to ran for governor in 2019 to replace his son, Gov. David ‘Jayjay’ Suarez who is in his last term.
The former congresswoman was seated with the local media practitioners as they grilled the elder Suarez with various questions about local and national issues.
The veteran House minority leader was reacting to the accusation that he is the head of the political dynasty in Quezon province, among other allegations of various local issues against the Suarez family hurled by 3 local newsmen whom he, his wife and son governor, and 3 other provincial government executive assistants, have sued for multiple libel for allegedly mounting daily malicious attacks in the trio’s daily radio and television program ‘Usapang Lalaki’.
The Suarezes along with executive assistants Rommel Edano, Webster Letargo, and Juanito Diaz have filed almost similar complaint-affidavits in various courts in Quezon and Makati cities and here in Lucena city against journalists Johnny Glorioso of DZMM, Gemi Formaran of People’s Journal and Rico Catampungan of DZEL for their radio and television program which aired daily describing it as nothing but a ‘smear production program’ doing a political and personal demolition job against them.
The trio claim that aside from the elder Suarez, his wife and son, who is the incumbent governor, 2 other sons hold government positions - 3rd district provincial board member Donaldo Suarez and Unisan vice mayor Danilo Suarez Jr.
“Look, how we are being continuously vilified and cursed, calling us, ‘tarantado’, ‘gago’, ‘p-ina’ and you are living witness how we are being demonized and endlessly badmouthed in their radio program so we got fed up and sued them,” he told the local mediamen.
On Feb. 10, Glorioso, Formaran and Catampungan posted bail of P10,000 each in Tayabas city when a warrant of arrest was issued against them by a Quezon city prosecutor based on the complaint of multiple libel filed by Suarez. The next day, the trio went anew in their tirades in their radio program against the Suarezes, claiming harassment and suppression of their right to press freedom.
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| Quezon veteran journalists Johnny Glorioso of DZMM (left), Gemi Formaran (center) of People’s Journal and Rico Catampungan (right) of DZEL raise fists in defiance after they posted bail at Tayabas police station in Tayabas city in connection with their multiple libel suits filed by the Suarezes and 3 provincial government assistants. (Photo Grab). |
Suarez has described his own family’s political dynasty as ‘positive dynasty’ for Quezon province taking exception from the description of ‘fat political dynasty’ as declared in a study by Dean Ronald Mendoza of the Ateneo School of Government who said that worsening poverty can be attributed to ‘fat political dynasties’ in poor provinces.
Mendoza said that fat political dynasties have more than 2 family members occupying government offices and they could be found in the provinces of Bulacan, Batangas, Lanao del Sur, Lanao del Norte, Ilocos Sur and Maguindanao.
The 1987 Constitution bans political dynasties but Congress has so far failed to pass an enabling law against political dynasty.
“If Suarez is a political dynasty to Quezon, I think, it is a positive dynasty. Ang tinitingnan lang kasi ng mga tao ay yung nananalo, hindi yung natatalo. At the end of the day, political dynasty really is destiny,” Suarez reiterated and responded to other issues and questions of the media such as the declared ban of sending overseas Filipino workers by Pres. Duterte to Kuwait in the aftermath of the death of domestic helper Joanna Demafelis of Iloilo city, the negative effect of Tax Reform Acceleration and Inclusion law to the masses, federalism, charter change, local politics and the proposed redistricting House bill which adds 3 more to the existing 4 congressional districts of the province.
Local political observers claim the Alcala family as the other prominent political dynasty in Quezon province as it includes 2nd district Rep. Vicente Alcala; his brother ex-agriculture secretary and ex-congressman Proceso Alcala; his nephew, incumbent city mayor Roderick Alcala; and brother, 2nd district provincial board member Hermilando Alcala Jr.
Also considered as prominent local political dynasties in Quezon include the political families of Tañada and Talaga who lost in the last elections.
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