MANILA, February 4, 2009— Pampanga Governor Eddie Panlilio has showed unusual confidence that moves to unseat him will not prosper.
“Among Ed,” as the priest-turned politician is called, said he is ready for any eventuality but said he will not give up without taking a good fight.
At “The Forum,” a church-organized media discussion, Panlilio believe that he still has the support of the majority of his constituency.
Panlilio vowed for a long struggle of his opponents aiming to oust him from power with just over a year before the 2010 national elections.
He said sought after recall election in Pampanga is still far-fetched if not close to impossible.
“The election in Pampanga will take a long time,” Panlilio declared even if the Congress recently approved the P50 million budget for the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to conduct recall elections.
The Kapanalig at Kambilan Ning Memalen Pampanga (Kambilan) has filed the recall petition against Panlilio last October at the Comelec provincial office in San Fernando, Pampanga.
But the embattled governor said the recall petitioners still has to hurdle questions on the legality of their petition, which holds allegedly over 240,000 Pampanga voter-signatories to recall him.
Panlilio accused Kambilan of perjury after they discovered that at least18, 000 of the signatures in the recall petition were not registered voters in the 2007 elections.
“If the Comelec dismisses this case, we will then go to the Supreme Court (SC)… they will really have to wait for long time there,” Panlilio said.
The Kambilan, led by Rosve Vergara Henson, is seeking recall elections claiming that majority of the people in Pampanga have already lost confidence to their provincial chief executive.
The Comelec, for its part, said it would need at least 45 days to prepare for any recall elections while noting that there is a one year ban for it prior to the 2010 electorate.
“Those recall petitions must be resolved before February ends or early March so that we would still have time to prepare for its actual holding,” said Comelec Rene Sarmiento.
The poll body, last week, lifted its order to suspend all recall petitions for lack of available funds after Congress approved the P50 million allocation.
Asked whether he believes that President Arroyo, has given blessings to the recall petition filed against him since Henson is a known ally of Lilia Pineda, Panlilio said his people believe so.
“It is the perception among Pampangueños that this would not push through without her (Arroyo) blessings,” Panlilio said.
Pineda ran under the administration party in the May 2007 elections and lost to Panlilio. (Roy Lagarde)
