MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / 01 Feb) – A former ally of ex-President Joseph Estrada, Basilan Island governor Wahab Akbar and one of his town mayor Paruk Majirul, have finally joined the Liberal Party.
Akbar was said to be running for a seat in Congress and his wife, Chery, as mayor of Isabela City in Basilan in the May national elections. The former Muslim rebel-turned-politician and Majirul, of Tipo-Tipo town took their oaths as members of one of the country’s premier political party in Manila on Wednesday.
Manila Mayor Lito Atienza presided over the ceremony held at the Manila City Hall, according to the official Liberal Party blogsite which can be found on the URL http://liberalpartyphilippines.blogspot.com.
It said the Liberal Party presence in Mindanao continues to grow with the swearing-in of Akbar.
"As you can see, we continue to grow,” said Liberal Party director general Eli Quinto. “The marching orders of the Mayor (Atienza) is to strengthen the Party, most of all through expansion, especially in areas we’ve been historically weak in like Mindanao and Negros."
"We welcome Gov. Akbar, Mayor Majirul and Mr. Dy to our ranks, and hope this is the start of an increased and effective Liberal presence in Mindanao and the province of Negros," Quinto said.
Akbar could not be reached for confirmation.
Estrada was ousted in 2001 by a popular people power revolution that catapulted Vice President Gloria Arroyo, with whom Akbar later sided.
Akbar is on his third and last term and Basilan Island Congressman Abdulgani Salappudin is reportedly planning to run as governor.
Like Akbar, Salappudin was a former commander of the separatist rebel group, Moro Islamic Liberation Front, and also on his third and last term. (Mindanao Examiner)
No comments:
Post a Comment