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LOCAL government officials will have their own version of “people
power” to counter the moves by groups critical of President Gloria
Arroyo.
Misamis Occ. Gov. Leo Ocampos, president
of the League of Provinces of the Philippines, disclosed on Thursday
that the multisectoral demonstration of support for President Arroyo
will kick off today through the holding of consultative
dialogs and rallies in local government units nationwide.
Ocampos said the simultaneous events
nationwide are just the start of a series of pro-administration
activities to highlight the achievements of the Arroyo government.
He said local officials and their
constituents are coming out to support the President because they
believe that she has “done a lot of good things for the benefit of
our people and the promotion of local autonomy.”
At least 14 provincial governors will
conduct their own consultative dialogs at their capitols with
participants coming from the local government units, business,
academe and the religious sector, among others, in attendance.
These are in Ilocos Norte, Bataan, Laguna,
Mountain Province, Davao del Norte, Romblon, Nueva Ecija, Kalinga,
Southern Leyte, Antique, Misamis Occidental, Lanao del Norte,
Maguindanao and the other provinces in the Autonomous Region in
Muslim Mindanao.
Similar initiatives by local chief
executives of Iloilo City and Ormoc City will be held today even as
more provinces, cities and municipalities have already lined up
their respective demonstration of support for President Arroyo next
week.
Mayor Ramon Guico, Jr. of Binalonan,
Pangasinan, president of the League of Municipalities of the
Philippines, said that their provincial chapter presidents have
agreed to replicate the demonstration of support in their respective
towns.
Guico, who is also the president of the
Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines, said that he will
reach out to other local officials to encourage them to dialog with
their people “so that they are given the right information in the
midst of several disinformation campaigns.”
-- William B. Depasupil
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