by Sentinel Times May 15, 2019 Quezon gubernatorial candidate Atty. Sonny Pulga...
May 15, 2019
|
|
Quezon gubernatorial candidate Atty. Sonny Pulgar makes his stand on
various local issues while his rival, ex-Padre Burgos Mayor Ding
Villena waits for his turn at the Gubernatorial Forum held at Event
Theater in Pacific Mall, Lucena city. (Sentinel Times) |
LUCENA CITY – Quezon gubernatorial candidate Sonny Pulgar blasted the ‘political dynasty infestation’ in Quezon province as he condemned the political candidates belonging to the Suarez, Alcala and other political families who are running in the May 13 midterm elections.
“There is political dynasty infestation in Quezon. There is this family in Unisan who discuss among themselves who will run for governor, congressman in the 3rd district and now in the 2nd district, board member, mayor, and partylist representative. It is like this family and others like them in most towns of the province have the franchise to covet for various government positions in our province,” Pulgar said in mixed English and Tagalog to the mostly young audience of the Gubernatorial Forum organized by 4 youth organizations at the Event Theater in Pacific Mall here last Friday.
The former 4th district board member was referring to the Suarez family whose patriarch, House minority floorleader and 3rd district Rep. Danilo Suarez is now running for governor while his son, incumbent Gov. David Suarez is now running for 2nd district; Danilo’s wife, Aleta, is running anew for the 3rd congressional post; another son, Donaldo is running for reelection as board member, his brother, Danilo Jr. is running for mayor of the Suarez’ hometown, Unisan; and David’s wife, Anna, is running for reelection as Alona’s partylist representative.
Pulgar also mentioned mothers, fathers, sons, daughters and siblings like the Empreses in San Andres, Orfanels in Catanuan, Ojedas in Mulanay, Sangalangs in Gen. Luna all in the 3rd district’s Bondoc Peninsula and in the 1st, 2nd and 4th districts of the province.
In the province’ 2nd district, the Alcala family has 2nd district Cong. Vicente ‘Kulit’ Alcala who is running for governor; his brother, Proceso, is running again for his previous position as congressman of 2nd district before he was appointed agriculture secretary during former president Simeon Benigno Aquino III; another brother, Hermilando is provincial board member; a nephew, Roderick ‘Dondon’ Alcala is running for his 3rd and last term as city mayor of Lucena; and a niece, Annalou, is the barangay chair of Cotta here.
“Puro political dynasty sa Quezon at sa ating bansa, dapat na ang pagbabago, ang bagong dugo para sa bagong pananaw sa mga problema natin sa lalawigan at sana matapos na itong mga political dynasties as they are not doing public service but personal service and family business,” he said adding that these political dynasties are treating the youth ‘in contempt’ thinking they can forgo to attend a forum organized by the youth.
“Bakit kailangan takutin tayo ng mga political dynasties? Ayaw nila na matanong kaya wala sila sa forum na ito,” Pulgar stressed as he proposed once elected for the re-establishment of Quezon Varsitarians to gather the ‘cream of the crop’ to determine the future leaders in the province; the creation of Quezon Provincial Agricultural Corp. as a response to the perennial low price of copra; to repeal the provincial ordinance approving the establishment of coal-fired power plants in Quezon and to promote the use of renewable energy, among others.
Only Pulgar and another gubernatorial candidate, former Padre Burgos mayor Dominador ‘Ding’ Villena, attended the forum, organized by Quezon Youth Community, The Luzonian-Manuel S.Enverga University Foundation, Southern Luzon State University-Office of the Student Regent and Rotaract Club of Lucena South.
The other gubernatorial bets who did not show up at the forum are House minority floorleader and 3rd district Rep. Danilo Suarez (Lakas), 2nd district Rep. Vicente ‘Kulit’ Alcala (Independent), former Lucban mayor Serafin Dator (Independent) and Fatima Abuy who is running under the Partido Federalista ng Pilipinas.
Pulgar, a practicing lawyer who writes opinion columns called ‘Katatas Pulong’ in several local weekly newspapers and has written a book ‘Duterte’s A Joke’, runs under the banner of Malayang Mamamayan ng Quezon while Villena has claimed he is now the standard bearer of the PDP-Laban in the province as no less than Pres. Duterte himself is supporting his candidacy.
Pulgar and Villena were seated along a row of vacant seats at the forum and were made to answer common and pointed questions - such as what they are going to do if elected as governor to raise the low price of copra, the environmental destruction posed by coal-fired power plants, the foremost social problems in the province and their proposed solutions, etc. - from 4 panelists of mostly youth leaders from Enverga University and Southern Luzon State University. Both were also asked to answer with yes or no on burning social issues like same-sex marriage, divorce, lowering of age of criminal responsibility, rampant drug addiction, extra-judicial killings, among others.
Shai Garci and Aaron Bonette of Quezon Youth also conducted mock election called Pulso ng Lucena Youth where the participants were made to write their preference among national and local candidates in the midterm May 13 elections.
