Polibiz
Representative-to be Malou Arroyo-Lesaca an ally of Tupas family
There appears to be no iota of truth to the canard traced to have emanated from Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) administrator Oscar Garin that Mrs. Marilou Arroyo-Lesaca, younger sister of First Gentleman Mike Arroyo, is interested to topple Iloilo Gov. Niel D. Tupas, Sr. from his post and that she is actually angling for the province's gubernatorial post in the 2007 elections.
I, for one, should know being always privy to the regular medical missions undertaken by the soft-spoken future congresswoman of the fourth district of Iloilo in her various out-of-town trips mostly in the fourth district of Iloilo (composed of her adopted component city, Passi; municipalities of Banate, Barotac Nuevo, San Enrique, Dumangas, Dingle, and Dueñas).
Mrs. Lesaca was always towed by former Passi City mayor Jesry Palmares, the best congressman the fourth district of Iloilo never had (maybe in the future if luck would have it), among other low-profile leaders in the fourth district of Iloilo.
Since early this year, when news broke out that the presidential sister-in-law had registered as a voter in Passi City, political leaders in the fourth district have begun to speculate that she came here for a very serious mission with the full might of Malacañang.
Experts had initially suspected that she was sent "to teach Gov. Tupas a lesson" after the 73-year old grizzled public servant abandoned Pres. Gloria Arroyo to side with then Senate President Frank Drilon on July 28, 2005.
But all these doubts and fears vanished to thin air when Mrs. Lesaca was seen giving dole outs to the destitutes in the province of Iloilo with the full assistance of the provincial government headed by Gov. Tupas.
In fact, on several occassions, Mrs. Lesaca had been the Tupas family's most important guest in town fiestas, among other occasions, aside from the noble medical missions that have benefited even those who don't have any idea of what politics is all about.
As far as most municipal mayors in the fourth district are concerned, Mrs. Lesaca's coronation as the next representative of the fourth district is only a formality. Even the moneyed incumbent Rep. Ferj Biron was already forced to issue a media statement that he was "ready" to go if that is what the people of the fourth district would want to happen next year.
That is why many political kibitzers were shocked to hear Garin, who lost to Gov. Tupas by a record-breaking more than 120,000 votes in the 2003 elections, floating the ridiculous speculation during the pre-fiesta celebration in his residence in Guimbal, Iloilo last Sept. 9 that Mrs. Lesaca is actually aiming to tangle with Gov. Tupas next year.
Mrs. Lesaca would be a good material for deputy speakership of the House once elected as representative of the fourth district of Iloilo. I'm sure Rep. Biron will not begrudge her candidacy as she has not issued any critical statement against the incumbent congressman that would trigger an ugly verbal joust at this early stage of political season.
I suspect also that when Administrator Garin uttered those words, he could have been either misquoted or was only kidding the reporters who came in a surprisingly big number, one would think they would elect Garin as their next president.
For the meantime, let's avoid putting words in the mouth of any politician, friend or foe or colleague as everything is still fluid in as far as politics in the province is concerned.
If somebody wants to convey a thinly-veiled message to Gov. Tupas, he must explicitly do so in a neutral ground so as not to inflame certain political sectors and ignite a "premature" political jihad that will prove to be costly and catastrophic to a certain party.