“I am not my brother’s keeper!”

This was the reaction given by former Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ralph Recto on the standing warrant of arrest against his brother, former Vice Governor Richard Recto of Batangas, that was issued by Batangas City Judge Ruben Galvez for the crime of double murder with frustrated murder.
Recto was reacting to questions that his impending candidacy for a Senate seat might be marred by issues raised against the former vice governor, who has possibly gone into hiding.

“But, I do not see any big problem with this. It’s really heart-breaking to think that there is this untoward incident that concerns a blood brother, but I can honestly say with a straight eye that I am not my brother’s keeper,” Recto, a former senator, said.

“My winning will be based on my own campaign. I was even invited by the Liberal Party and for almost a month, we have been talking with the group for a possible tie-up that ended up in our joining the party,” he added.

On July 28, former Gov. Armando Sanchez of Batangas put up a P2.5-million reward for the capture of the former vice governor and three others who are all accused of plotting to kill him in June 2006.
Richard Recto was tagged as the mastermind along with lawyer Christopher Belmonte, Christina Antonio and Bettina Balderama.

Ferdinand Topacio, Sanchez’s lawyer, said Richard Recto carries a P1-million bounty on his head, while Belmonte, Antonio and Balderama have P500,000 each.

Belmonte is a nephew of Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. of Quezon City while Antonio is a daughter of Gov.
Alvaro Antonio of Cagayan.

Nothing is known about Balderama’s background except that she provided explosive expertise and surveillance operations on Sanchez.

Topacio said police crime agents went to Richard Recto’s last known address in Quezon City at Las Vista and Green Meadows on July 29 to serve the arrest warrant but did not find him. The arrest warrant was later served at Recto’s house in Batangas but he could not be found there, too.

Lakas still open

Richard’s case, however, does not seem to affect Ralph since the Lakas-Kampi Christian Muslim Democratys (CMD) said also on Friday that its door will remain open for the former Socioeconomic Planning chief, if he decides to return to the party. Recto together with his wife Gov. Vilma Santos-Recto of Batangas left Lakas recently to join the Liberal Party (LP).

“Yes, our door is open to anybody who would want to participate in good governance and in advocating the political ideology and programs of the government and the Lakas-Kampi CMD,” Cabinet Secretary Silvestre Bello 3rd said.

The entry of Recto to LP created a rift between him and former Sen. Serge Osmeña.

Mad scramble

Osmeña left the Liberal Party and reports said that he might join the Nacionalista Party of presidential aspirant Sen. Manuel Villar Jr.

“That only shows that at this time, the administration is not the only one scrambling to prevent its members from leaving. Other parties are also experiencing similar things. That is part of the season,” Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said.

Bello said that it is not true that the administration wants former President Joseph “Erap” Estrada to run to divide the opposition as claimed by former Sen. Ernesto Maceda. The question on the legality of Estrada’s candidacy should be resolved by the courts, he added.

“Whether former President Erap will be disqualified is a matter of judicial function. So if he will be disqualified by the courts or by the Comelec [Commission on Elections], initially, then we really have one candidate less. Now, whether he will be replaced by his son, Sen. Jose ‘Jinggoy’ [Estrada], that is for the opposition to decide,” Bello said.

When asked about the status of Chairman Bayani Fernando of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority in Lakas-Kampi CMD, the Cabinet secretary replied that Fernando remains a bona fide member of the party and he is still a member of the party’s executive committee. (See related page 1 story)

Joenald Medina Rayos and Angelo S. Samonte