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LRV endorses Dato; hits LRay
ALLIES. Reps. Luis R. Villafuerte and Dato Arroyo during barangay visit in Minalabac, Camarines Sur in which the former endorsed the latter for reelection against son LRay.
By Juan Escandor Jr.
NAGA CITY—The father-son rift of Camarines Sur third district Rep. Luis R. Villafuerte Sr. (LRV) and Gov. Luis Raymund “LRay” Jr. sparked a new word war with LRV’s endorsement of third district Rep. Diosdado “Dato” Ignacio Arroyo’s reelection bid against son LRay’s plan to run as congressman in Dato’s district in the 2013 elections.
LRay, estranged from his father since 2007 elections up to the present, also clashed with LRV, Dato and Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr. and Deputy Speaker Arnulfo Fuentebella on the move to split Camarines Sur into two provinces which is pending at the Senate.
LRV said he totally endorses Dato and last Tuesday the former asked the village crowd in Barangay Salingogon in Minalabac town to give the latter 98 percent of their votes.
LRV, who accompanied Dato in his barangay visit that day, described his son LRay as an “ingrate,” “paratomang (disrespectful, disobedient to the parents)” and an “embarrassment to the family” and discouraged the village crowd to vote for his son, that he said ironically is his junior.
He said LRay, who is grooming and pushing his 23-year-old son Miguel and grandson to LRV for the gubernatorial position, will experience his downfall, as the people reject those “paratomang,” he added.
LRay shrugged off LRV’s personal attack as “the same issues used against him in 2007 and 2010 elections but “public gave me an overwhelming support because they know it’s not true.”
LRV, while campaigning for the division of Camarines Sur, announced he is going to come back as governor of the biggest province in Bicol with 35 towns and two cities. Like outgoing governor LRay, LRV is also serving his last term as congressman of the third district.
LRay said he is sure to field his son Miguel or Migz in the gubernatorial election next year which will bring LRay into direct political collision against LRV.
With all the trimmings of a political rally, LRV entertained the crowd with punch lines and by throwing apples for them to catch, his signature gimmick in campaign sorties.
Dato and LRV did ceremonial distribution of their respective token food packs to some ten families of more than 500 households in the village.
Before the village crowd, Dato explained that despite the non-release of his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) the people must not worry because he had found other fund sources, so that infrastructure projects, scholarship and medical assistance programs will continue.
But LRay twitted Dato that his barangay visit is nothing but just meeting his leaders and playing basketball and then leaves the community.
He said it is only now that Dato is going around the district for the past five years and that his “position as congressman was served in a silver platter.”
Dato dismissed LRay’s claim saying he has visited all the 189 barangays in the second district in which he had projects in all of them for the past years since he took office in 2007, and that he is now doing a house to house visits.
“I don’t know how to wakeboard (LRay’s sport) so I play basketball,” Dato reacted about his basketball playing during barangay visits.
