'Leon Guerrero' rebuffs 'Rambotito's' debate dare

This was one showdown wherein Leon Guerrero declined to pull out his guns. Admitting that he would face a formidable foe, actor-politician Sen. Lito Lapid on Monday refused to accept Mayor Jejomar Binay's challenge to formally debate about governance matters in Makati City. Interviewed from his mansion at Porac town in Pampanga, Lapid repeatedly mentioned that he would not be able to fight Binay with words due to the former's "lack of education." Lapid, best remembered during his action star days as the gunslinging Leon Guerrero, also admitted that his stint at the Senate was lacking because "I don't know how to debate." "Hindi na po siguro. (I'd rather not accept the challenge)," Lapid said, adding in Filipino that, "He's better than me, he can speak English well." Although he said his decision to join the Makati mayoralty race was "nothing personal," he still managed to take a dig at Binay. "Maybe if I challenged him to a debate in kapampangan (Pampanga's provincial dialect), maybe we can have that faceoff," said Lapid, also a former Pampanga governor. He added that, "Isn't the incumbent mayor from Cagayan? Well if we walked from our provinces, then I would reach Makati before he does." The senator insisted that he had completed the one-year residency rule, saying he has two homes in Makati City. Interestingly, Lapid said in the same interview that Leon Guerrero does not back down from his battles. Last Sunday, Binay dared Lapid to engage him in a debate, saying voters will be able to see through mere popularity and empty promises. Binay and his wife Elenita have maintained political influence in Makati since the first People Power revolt of 1986. Binay finished his political science and law degrees at the University of the Philippines, the foremost learning institution of the government education system. While he acknowledged that Makati is currently doing well in terms of governance and income generation, Lapid said his track record in bringing Pampanga out of its debacle in the aftermath of the Mount Pinatubo eruption in 1991 would speak for itself. "Makati has its own funds. I don't think there's any road left that needs concrete. But we can make Makati residents happy," he said. Lapid's critics in Pampanga have accused him of allegedly extorting money from quarry firms hauling volcanic ash. Lapid's son, Mark, is currently the provincial governor. Asked if he was fulfilled with his work at the Senate, Lapid said that, "I had little education, I don't know how to speak in English. But I was accepted by our countrymen around the country and they brought me to the Senate." Meanwhile, Lapid denied seeking the Makati mayoralty post because of the orders of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, his cabalen (provincemate) from Pampanga. He made no qualms, however, admitting that he would be delighted to receive political backing from the President. "I asked permission from the First Couple ... When I ran for governor, nobody egged me to do it. It was my decision, not theirs," he said. Makati City, the country's premiere business district, is also a staging ground of major political rallies in the past. Binay is now the chairman of the United Opposition (UNO), led by Mrs Arroyo's chief political nemesis, deposed President Joseph Estrada. - GMANews.TV