FVR nephew Braganza moves to LP
AMITA O. LEGASPI, GMANews.TV
11/06/2009 | 12:24 PM
With the blessing of his uncle former President Fidel V. Ramos, Alaminos City Mayor Hernani Braganza took oath Friday as the newest member of the Liberal Party, explaining that his decision to bolt Lakas-Kampi went beyond party considerations.
In an interview with reporters, Braganza said he asked permission from Ramos, founder of Lakas whom he considers as his political father. His uncle then gave his blessings, rendering his cross-over official.
"That is a good decision on your part," Braganza quoted Ramos as saying.
Braganza was reelected as mayor of Alaminos City in Pangasinan in 2007 under the banner of Lakas-CMD, which earlier this year merged with the Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi) to become Lakas-Kampi-CMD.
Prior to the merger, Braganza was Lakas-CMD's deputy secretary general and one of the party's leaders in Luzon.
Ramos, one of the founders of Lakas-CMD, had opposed the merger, saying proper procedures such as consultation with the national directorate of Lakas-CMD regarding the merger were not done. [See: FVR nixes offer to be Lakas-Kampi chair emeritus].
Braganza was on his second term as congressman of Pangasinan's 1st district when President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo appointed him Agrarian Reform secretary in February 2001.
He stayed at the post until 2003, when he was appointed Press Secretary. He left the post a year later to run as mayor of Alaminos City.
Had Ramos asked him not to change his affiliation, Braganza said, he would have deferred his plan.
He said his decision to join the campaign of Senators Benigno Simeon Aquino III and Manuel Roxas II, LP's presidential and vice presidential bets respectively, is personal to him and goes beyond party considerations.
He admitted however that he has misgivings about his former party, since Kampi fielded a candidate to run against him in the last elections.
"Technically, ako yung incumbent, ba't nyo ako palalabanan ng kakampi din natin (I'm the incumbent, so why would you allow one of our partymates to fight me)? I would understand kung ang kalaban ko (if my adversary) comes from the opposition party pero ang inilaban nyo sa akin kakampi ng partido natin (but you set a party ally to run against me)," he said.
Braganza added: "So where do I stand in a situation wherein I'm one of the original founders of Lakas...I was sure na tatalunin ko naman yung kandidato nila (that I would defeat their candidate) but still ang sabi ko (I told them) you don’t take care of your family in that way. Is that fair? Hindi naman siguro (I think not)." - with reports from Johanna Camille Sisante, GMANews.TV
In an interview with reporters, Braganza said he asked permission from Ramos, founder of Lakas whom he considers as his political father. His uncle then gave his blessings, rendering his cross-over official.
"That is a good decision on your part," Braganza quoted Ramos as saying.
Braganza was reelected as mayor of Alaminos City in Pangasinan in 2007 under the banner of Lakas-CMD, which earlier this year merged with the Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi) to become Lakas-Kampi-CMD.
Prior to the merger, Braganza was Lakas-CMD's deputy secretary general and one of the party's leaders in Luzon.
Ramos, one of the founders of Lakas-CMD, had opposed the merger, saying proper procedures such as consultation with the national directorate of Lakas-CMD regarding the merger were not done. [See: FVR nixes offer to be Lakas-Kampi chair emeritus].
Braganza was on his second term as congressman of Pangasinan's 1st district when President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo appointed him Agrarian Reform secretary in February 2001.
He stayed at the post until 2003, when he was appointed Press Secretary. He left the post a year later to run as mayor of Alaminos City.
Had Ramos asked him not to change his affiliation, Braganza said, he would have deferred his plan.
He said his decision to join the campaign of Senators Benigno Simeon Aquino III and Manuel Roxas II, LP's presidential and vice presidential bets respectively, is personal to him and goes beyond party considerations.
He admitted however that he has misgivings about his former party, since Kampi fielded a candidate to run against him in the last elections.
"Technically, ako yung incumbent, ba't nyo ako palalabanan ng kakampi din natin (I'm the incumbent, so why would you allow one of our partymates to fight me)? I would understand kung ang kalaban ko (if my adversary) comes from the opposition party pero ang inilaban nyo sa akin kakampi ng partido natin (but you set a party ally to run against me)," he said.
Braganza added: "So where do I stand in a situation wherein I'm one of the original founders of Lakas...I was sure na tatalunin ko naman yung kandidato nila (that I would defeat their candidate) but still ang sabi ko (I told them) you don’t take care of your family in that way. Is that fair? Hindi naman siguro (I think not)." - with reports from Johanna Camille Sisante, GMANews.TV
