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By Sam
Mediavilla, Reporter
Executive
Secretary Eduardo Ermita said on Tuesday that he believes the
actress and Lipa City Mayor Vilma Santos is the only candidate who
could beat the incumbent Batangas Gov. Armand Sanchez.
Ermita’s
virtual endorsement of Santos presents problems for her
brother-in-law, Vice-Gov. Ricky Recto, who has set his sights on
facing off with Sanchez in the May elections.
“Everybody
says that Mayor Vilma [Santos] is the only viable candidate for
governor and that could beat incumbent leader such as Governor
Sanchez,” Ermita said in an interview after the signing of the
Human Security Act of 2007 in Malacañang.
He said that
as head of the Lakas Party in Southern Tagalog, “of course I
would look for somebody who is a viable candidate and everyone in Batangas,
I mean majority of people, said Mayor Vi is that candidate.”
He confirmed
he had consulted local executives of Batangas more than two weeks
ago on the best candidate to field against Sanchez, who had joined
the Kampi. But he denied the claim of Ricky Recto that Malacañang
was pressuring the mayors of Batangas to convince the vice governor
to withdraw from the gubernatorial race.
The
vice-governor is the brother of Santos’ husband, Ralph, who is
running for reelection in the Senate.
Interviewed on
DZMM radio Tuesday, Vice-Governor Recto said Ermita was behind the
move to convince to Santos to reconsider her decision to give way to
her brother-in-law.
Ermita scoffed
at insinuations he was pushing for Santos because his son, Edwin,
would be her running mate.
Interviewed
during the convention of provincial board members league in Manila,
Senator Recto said President Arroyo had nothing to do with the
politics in Batangas.
He stressed
nobody could dictate on Santos on her political plans.
On Monday
Santos said she wanted a week to decide if she would run for a
higher post or to step aside for her brother-in-law.
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