THE much-ballyhooed consolidation of forces between incumbent Vice Gov. Roseller “Roy” Ariosa and Lakewood mayor Doming Mirrar has raised some eyebrows at the Capitol including Gov. Aurora "Auring" Cerilles.
In a recent meeting with media members at the Capitol, Cerilles said she was sad with the consequence of Ariosa-Mirrar team-up, especially upon hearing it first from the journalists.
The said tandem was earlier reported by a weekly paper as a possible force to contend with in the 2010 gubernatorial elections after lawyer Tirsendo Poloyapoy, president of the so-called Pwersa Mindanao (PM), made such announcement over the radio.
The said report quoted Poloyapoy as saying that “the Ariosa–Mirrar tandem in the provincial level went through a very tedious process in order to get the consensus of the party members.”
Although Ariosa, former town mayor of Tabina, would neither confirm nor deny such report, sources from the vice governor’s camp already confirmed the tie-up, adding “discussions are ongoing.”
Another source privy to the three-termed Ariosa said that the vice governor “opted to run for governorship next year after seeing the Cerilleses glaringly showing intention to retain power at the Capitol.”
“Oh my God, unsa man ang ilang programa? I don’t know, kamo na lay tubag ana beh! I cannot imagine Roy and Mirrar together. For me, I thought all was just borne out of rumormongering,” was Cerilles’ reaction when pressed by media for comments.
“As of today, wala ko kabalo may plano sila ingon ana. If that is true, medyo sad lang ko. Dili lang ko katoo why,” added the governor.
To recall, in 2007, both Cerilles and Ariosa ran under Lakas CMD-Kampi. It was not known at present whether Ariosa indeed jumped ship to Poloyapoy’s PM.
When pressed further whether she will intervene this time, being Ariosa’s partymate, Cerilles only said: “It’s theirs, anybody has the right (to do that).”
“And to think naa silay panglantaw and I hope (maayo) pero kung ang ilang panglantaw is to bring down the Cerilleses, dili nana panglantaw, kalagot nana,” she said.
Earlier, the governor dispelled rumors she is eyeing the mayoralty seat in next year’s polls.
“My running for mayor is not true. I want to be a caregiver to my grandchildren after my term ends. I’ll cross the bridge when I get there,” she said.
Cerilles then told media that she has left a remarkable legacy in the province and she wants to be remembered for it.
“Manghinaut lang ko na suportahan ninyo bisag unsay programa sa probinsiya (ug sa bag-ong gobernador). Right now, lets just talk about business muna,” she concluded.
REPORT BY MICHAEL MEDINA