Kris helps brother Noynoy woo Zamboanga City vote

ZAMBOANGA CITY—Thousands of supporters, some of them clad in yellow, went wild as showbiz celebrity Kris Aquino took the stage Wednesday night at the Joaquin F. Enriquez sports complex in this famed port city of the South. But Kris, clad in a black top with a small yellow map of the Philippines printed on the side, was not there to promote a show or a movie: she was there to ask the supporters who showed up—numbering at least 50,000—to vote for her brother, presidential aspirant Senator Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III, on May 10.
"Ilang beses ko na pong napatunayan sa 'min na hindi kami nag-iisa. Ang hinihingi ko po sa inyo, sa May 10, sana naman po hindi niyo makakalimutan: Noynoy Aquino (I have seen it proven many times that we are not alone. Now I ask you, on May 10, please do not forget Noynoy Aquino" said Kris, before leading the crowd into chanting Noynoy's name. Kris, a top celebrity endorser, earlier said in an ambush interview that she joined Noynoy's campaign sortie—the first time she did so—in Zamboanga City because the place is special for the Aquinos, and it is where Noynoy went on a retreat in September to decide on how to respond to the clamor for him to run for president. (See: Kris joins Noynoy in campaign sortie for the first time) Onstage, she thanked the people of Zamboanga for backing her family. "Nung panahon pa po ng tatay ko, ni Ninoy, at panahon ni Cory, ang Zamboanga, mahal na mahal ang pamilya Aquino (Even back during the time of my father Ninoy and my mother Cory, Zamboanga loved the Aquino family)," she said, her statement met by wild cheers from the crowd. 'I am not arrogant' Kris took the opportunity to take potshots at those who criticize her role in her brother's life. In an apparent take-off from what Ruffa Gutierrez's mother Annabelle Rama said a few days ago, Kris said it was "unfair" to call on the public not to vote for her brother because she was "mayabang (arrogant)." (See: Ruffa Gutierrez walks out of showbiz talk show) "Hindi po ako pinalaki ng nanay namin na maging mayabang dahil alam ko pong kung ano’ng meron kami, utang na loob po namin lahat sa inyo (Our mother did not bring me up to be arrogant because I know that we owe to the people whatever we have right now)," she said. To her critics who say Malacañang might turn into something like her showbiz talk show SNN if Noynoy becomes president, Kris said: "Ang masasabi ko po dun, e di maganda, dahil ibig sabihin nun lahat ng nagaganap sa gobyerno malalaman ninyo (What I can say is, that's good, because that means you will know everything that goes on in government)." Almost all of Kris's statements were punctuated by loud cheers from the crowd, which broke into even louder screams when her husband, basketball star James Yap, joined her onstage. In an interview with reporters after the event, Noynoy said he was overwhelmed by the massive show of support from Zamboanga City, which, as of 2007, is the sixth-largest city in the country with a population of over 774,000. "Talagang napaka-overwhelming, sobra, ang love ng taga-Zamboanga (The love shown by the people from Zamboanga is truly overwhelming, it’s just too much)," Noynoy said. Consultations to solve regional problems In a press conference earlier in the day, Noynoy promised to utilize a "consultative" decision-making process to solve problems besetting Zamboanga City and Mindanao in general, such as insurgency and energy and water shortage. "We will advance a peace dialogue with all the stakeholders, hopefully simultaneously. Therefore it will be inclusive and transparent to all parties; that is the only reasonable way we can get everyone to agree on a common goal, if we really strive to induce trust by making make the whole process transparent," said Noynoy, pointing out that the Liberal Party was one of those who objected to the Arroyo administration's botched memorandum of agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. As for the energy shortage, Noynoy said that while the short-term solution was to deploy power barges, if he wins his government will "come up with policies that will induce investors to come in to set up the generating plants that will supply the power needed for development in Mindanao." Noynoy's press conference itself was briefly interrupted by a power outage that lasted for a few seconds, as Mindanao has been experiencing hours of rotating brownouts due to El Niño drought conditions. Noynoy said an Aquino administration will also study the utilization of "managing...what is available with the needs" to address the electric and water shortage in the region. Regional center The LP standard bearer said he also wants a dialogue among regional stakeholders on whether Zamboanga City should once again be the regional center serving all three provinces of the Zamboanga Peninsula: Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, and Zamboanga Sibugay. According to the Department of Interior and Local Government, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2004 ordered all offices to be transferred from Zamboanga City to Pagadian City in Zamboanga del Sur with the exception of regional branches of Department of Tourism, Department of Labor and Employment and Department of Trade and Industry, which will be retained in Zamboanga. The issue of whether Zamboanga City should once again be the regional center, as one local journalist present at Wednesday's press conference put it, is "the most controversial issue" in the region. "Perhaps it’s high time to have a dialogue among the people in the region [on] how best can we provide services necessary to the entire region, and perhaps I can commit that I will abide by whatever the decision is of the majority," Noynoy said. Noynoy further said, "I am not a dictator, I believe in consultations. Therefore I will have to talk to not just Pagadian or Zamboanga City but to other components of the region." As of January 2010, the Zamboanga Peninsula counted more than 1.8 million registered voters. Noynoy's campaign in Zamboanga City is backed by first district Rep. Ma. Isabelle "Beng" Climaco, who also heads the LP chapter in Zamboanga. Climaco, who had also previously served as this city's vice mayor, comes from a family which has long held power in the area. (See: Zamboanga City to mark Climaco's death) The congresswoman shifted loyalties from her old party, the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP), to the LP weeks before the filing of the certificate of candidacy late last year.—JV, GMANews.TV