Dadivas congressional bid for ‘unfinished business’
ROXAS CITY – Former 1st District Cong. Rodriquez “Roging” Dadivas filed his Certificate of Candidacy (COC) last Tuesday at the Provincial Commission on Election (Comelec) purportedly to finish his “unfinished business.”
Dadivas, who was accompanied by family, friends and supporters, attended a sponsored mass at 3:30 p.m. on the same day at Mount Carmel Church before filing his COC.
“No turning back, no retreat no surrender,” Dadivas said during the press conference held at Cler Grand Hotel right after filing his COC.
Earlier, Dadivas said that he filed his COC because he was promised by Sen. Mar Roxas’s ally Mr. Emmanuel “Tawi” Billones and Mrs. Judy Araneta Roxas (mother of Sen. Roxas) to prepare himself to run for congressman since incumbent 1st District Cong. Antonio del Rosario will slide down to run as city mayor.
However, Billones, in a radio interview, strongly denied hat he promised Dadivas the congressional post saying that he only asked the latter to prepare for he might be anointed as congressman once Del Rosario slides down to run for city mayor.
Mr. Zoe Herrera, provincial administrator, and former Pilar Mayor Gideon “Ike” Patricio confirmed that the Roxases did not promise to give to Dadivas the congressional slot since it was conditional in nature.
Dadivas, a loyal and good follower of the LP, was asked to quit from seeking reelection in 2007 in favor of Rep. Del Rosario. As a reward for his decision, his son Ronnie Dadivas, a first termer city councilor was elevated by the party to run as vice mayor and won.
Dadivas clarified that with his decision to run, it will not affect his son Ronnie’s vice mayoral bid because according to him, there will be no conflict at all.
According to him, the conflict between him and his son Ronnie are also experienced by City Councilor Carla Abela since her brother-in-law City Fiscal Julius Abela run under the banner of LP, the brother of City Councilor Rolando Ignacio and Former Vice Mayor Roberto Ignacio, City Councilor Jun Anisco and Jinnefer Anisco. They are families but running under different parties.
Dadivas also claimed that his supporters will still support him in his bid for congressman considering that being a lawyer he is the most qualified among the candidates.
He cited the projects that need to be finished such as three stories building at Taft Street where he proposed to have a public library and computers for students, DepEd Division office in Banica, Roxas City, 2,000 scholars whose studies were discontinued after he quit and several others.
Dadivas also mentioned that during his term as congressman he passed three bills which became laws such as Republic Act (RA) 9272, an act to declared April 15th as President Manuel Roxas Day; RA 9273, an act converting the Capiz State Polytechnic College as Capiz State University (CAPSU) and RA 9374, an act of creating two additional salas at the Roxas City Hall of Justice which helped address the backlog of cases in courts.
