NAGA CITY - Dato Arroyo, the third Arroyo bidding a seat in Congress, has been called up to St. Luke Hospital to stand by his father, First Gentleman (FG) Miguel Arroyo, as President Macapagal-Arroyo visited China, missing the political forum held here on Friday night.

        Ower Andal, a longtime friend of the Arroyos and guardian of Dato while studying in Ateneo de Naga University, said that the youngest of the presidential son left for Manila Thursday to take care of his father.

        Andal said Dato could be back in a day or two to continue his house-to-house campaign at the barangay level after completing his campaign sorties at the town level two weeks ago.

        Dato is bidding for a congressional seat in the 10-town 1st District of Camarines Sur, the district then congressman and now Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya Jr. formerly represented.

        Andal said that the sorties of Dato involved scheduling of campaign on the town’s market day when there are more voters out in the streets wherein the presidential son could press hands with as many of them.

        He said the strategy was to select convergence points in a cluster of barangay in a municipality to roll on with the house-to-house campaign with Dato shaking hands with voters to ask their support.

        “We really just do simple campaigning like everyone else with the least expense but I can assure that the opposition has no issue against Dato personally and politically. Records will show and people can tell that Dato is a simple man and his intention to run is purely to help the first district,” Andal claimed.

        Junie Parma, a radio commentator of the local radio station DZGE here, claimed that Dato failed to attend the forum because his media handlers were preventing him from attending.

        But Andal dismissed Parma’s claim as a total farce and that they were wary about the dirty tactics the political rivals may use to attack the candidacy of Dato.

        In two radio stations, DZGE and BBS, Dato confirmed in two separate interviews that indeed he has to attend to his father who was confined at the St. Luke Hospital.

        Dato said in the interviews that his political rivals could harp on his absence in the political forum but assured them that no amount of “black propaganda” can stop him from achieving victory in the polls as he is working hard to win the voters.

        In the political forum held Friday night at Plaza Quezon here, Mayor Sabas Mabulo, of San Fernando town, Liberal Party (Drilon wing) standard bearer running against Dato, presented himself as an alternative candidate with a host of projects and programs intended to uplift the poor from poverty in the first district.

        Mabulo explained that if elected as congressman he will pursue a legislative agenda that will establish the production of citrus, cacao, abaca and other high-value crops.

        “It maybe long-term before we reap the benefits of the production of high-value crops but it’s one of the ways that I see that can alleviate poverty,” Mabulo said addressing a thin crowd of about a two hundred spectators at the Plaza Quezon here.

        Mabulo said that the ‘Bicol Pride’ motivated him to run against Dato who is not from the first district and therefore could not represent the sentiments of the constituents here. He added that he also wanted to demonstrate that ordinary candidate could win against the whims of the powers-that-be if the people want to change politics.

        The mayor said that he was forced to take the challenge of running against the presidential son after Andaya shelved the plan to field his wife, Marisa, and a group called Christian Life Community of the Philippines convinced him to throw his hat in the congressional contest.

        He said he made his decision after a “deep discernment” and prayer with the Christian group considering that he had to severe his political ties with his former allies in the Liberal Party (Atienza wing that the Supreme Court had disqualified to lead the party).

        In an interview in March with the Bicol Mail, Mabulo also revealed that he had not planned to run beyond the position of the mayor in his town and was actually preparing to work in the academe or NGO once his term ends June 30.

        Contacted through the mobile phone yesterday, the mayor said that he is on the campaign trail at sitio level now and that his bid is “llamado” (a term used in cockfighting referring to the most favored cock).

        But until yesterday, Mabulo’s former allies were still baffled and could not comprehend what’s the real motive behind the mayor’s sudden decision to run against Dato.

        Mayor Bayani Veluz, of Del Gallego, Camarines Sur and a former party mate of Mabulo in the LP (Atienza wing), said that they were not convinced that the “Bicol Pride” is the actual motivation behind the decision of the latter which was announced at the onset of Election Period in February.

        Veluz said that Andaya’s party mates included himself, PRESIDENTIAL SON.....

        Mabulo and four more mayors in the 10 towns of the 1st District of Camarines Sur or six of the ten mayors until Mabulo announced in February his intention to run.

        “He was not registering any opposition to the solid support of the ten mayors that Secretary Andaya presented in October last year, so we were so surprised of his decision,” he wondered.

        Mabulo explained that he kept silent about his plan because he was actually against supporting Dato because he said his “default” option was for the Andayas, which meant that he had vowed to “support and protect the gains of the Andayas in the first district”.

        Mayor Gil Basmayor, of Minalabac, Camarines Sur and candidate of the Kabalikat ng Mamamayang Pilipino (Kampi), said that he saw an anomaly in the decision of Mabulo to suddenly decide to run as congressman in the ten-town district.

        “I cannot reconcile the logic of the sudden decision of padi Abang (Mabulo) considering the required preparation needed in running as congressman. Well, I cannot argue against his so-called ‘Bicol Pride’ motivation,” Basmayor said.

        Basmayor said that sentimental reason like that will not outweigh the projected benefits in terms of development projects Dato could bring to Camarines Sur’s first district if the presidential son wins the elections.