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By Jayson Cruz Luna Contributor
Batangas Vice-Governor Marc
Leviste said he is willing to make peace with Edwin Ermita, the son
of Executive Secretary Ed Ermita and the losing candidate in last
year’s vice-gubernatorial race.
In an exclusive roundtable
interview with The Manila Times, Leviste said their camp has been
informed that the Ermitas have filed a motion to withdraw their
electoral protest before the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
Despite being proclaimed the winner, Leviste also has pending
counter charges filed against his opponent.
While he admits to be cautiously
optimistic, Leviste said, “I’m very much open to working closely
with them.” There are many things they can work on together, he
added in Pilipino.
“I’m not putting my guard
down,” he said, adding that the people of Batangas will admire
cooperation with his political foes.
Leviste gave The Times a vote
tally showing that with about 70 percent of the votes recounted or
revised, he won with a margin of 24,000 votes. He added that even if
he conceded all the votes contested by his opponent—which, he
said, he is not foolish enough to do—he still comes out 2,000
votes ahead.
Heartfelt program
The Batangas provincial
government has initiated a social services program called by the
acronym HEARTS: health, education and environment, agriculture,
roads and infrastructure, tourism and security, Leviste said.
The program, complete with a
budget, is fully supported by the provincial board, which he leads
as vice-governor.
The 30-year-old vice-governor
said he is working closely with Batangas Gov. Vilma Santos-Recto,
even though she belongs to another political party. She is with the
ruling Lakas Christian-Muslim Democrats, he with the Kabalikat ng
Malayang Pilipino (Kampi), the party founded by President Gloria
Arroyo.
He said the governor, a
multi-awarded movie star, is the “heart” of Batangas, while he
sees himself as the “soul.”
“I intend to be the soul to
give life to Batangas,” Leviste said.
Together, they have been going
around the province. The provincial government has already
distributed PhilHealth cards to at least 100,000 beneficiaries,
totaling 20 percent of their constituents from the poorest families.
Leviste said his province was
inspired by the health program being implemented by Makati Mayor
Jejomar Binay, himself from the Batangas town of Bauan. Binay
instituted the “Yellow Card” in which the Makati City government
shoulders a certain amount, if not the full amount, of the
patients’ hospital bills.
The provincial government is now
upgrading eight district and provincial hospitals, adding that they
have the governor’s husband, former Senator Ralph Recto as
“senior adviser,” and prominent architect Budji Layug to help
them rehabilitate all their hospitals, the provincial capitol, and
other buildings in their province.
The same makeover will also be
done to other hospitals, whose facilities will be modernized and
upgraded for better health delivery.
Leviste said he and Governor
Recto have decided to set aside political partisanship to focus on
their responsibilities to the people. This, he said, is their
governance formula to benefit more constituents.
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