Cebu mayors endorse Hagedorn’s Senate bid
Puerto Princesa Mayor Edward Hagedorn is banking on the support of fellow mayors including those from Cebu to win a Senate seat in the May 13 elections.
Hagedorn had a closed-door breakfast meeting with 28 incumbent mayors and six mayoralty candidates from all over Cebu.
Cebu has 44 towns and seven cities including Cebu and Lapu-Lapu cities which are chartered cities.
After the meeting, Hagedorn told reporters about the endorsement of the mayors.
In a separate interview, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama confirmed his support for the Puerto Princesa mayor's senatorial bid.
“I will support Hagedorn because he is an environmentalist and ni bisita gyud siya nako,” said Rama during his noon time press conference at City Hall. Hagedorn paid Rama a courtesy call two weeks ago when he came first to campaign in the city and province.
Former Compostela mayor Richie Wagas who was designated to speak on behalf of the Cebu town mayors said the support to Hagedorn's candidacy crossed party lines. “It is easy for us to agree on supporting Mayor Hagedorn as mayors speak the same language, so to speak,” Wagas said.
Wagas is running for mayor under the One Cebu Party.
The support of the mayors may have stemmed from the consensus of the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) and League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) to support Hagedorn’s candidacy.
Even if the presidents of the LCP and the LMP belong to the ruling Liberal Party, they crossed party lines to improve his chances of winning.
The president of the LCP is San Fernando, Pampanga Mayor Oscar Rodriguez while the LMP president is Paombong, Bulacan Mayor Donato Marcos.
The endorsement of former president Joseph Estrada, head of the Partido ng Masang Pilipino to include Hagedorn, Grace Poe-Llamanzares and Eddie Villanueva in the senatorial ticket of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) last Wednesday is another a major boost to his Senate bid.
Aside from the mayors, Hagedorn said the Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC) has also thrown its support behind him. Among the NPC stalwarts who had committed to support him is former Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano who is running for the congressional seat of Cebu's 5th district. /Doris C. Bongcac and Fe Marie Dumaboc