PINABACDAO, Samar, Aug. 11 (PNA) –- The massive government assistance to this poor province will increase the chance of Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas to win the support of local government officials here in next year’s elections.
Samar Governor Sharee Ann Tan-de los Santos said they’re still undecided of their presidential candidate, but they would throw their support to someone who has been helping Samar province.
Tan-de los Santos said both Roxas and Vice President Jejomar Binay are their friends, but the extent of assistance weighs more than friendship.
Among the assistance cited by the official is the distribution of patrol jeepneys to poor towns, post-Yolanda reconstruction of local government-owned buildings, and water system projects for waterless communities.
All these projects were under the watch of Roxas during his stint as chief of the Department of the Interior and Local Government.
“Mar has already sought our support and it’s not hard to support him because he’s been helping us,” said Tan-de los Santos, whose political clan belongs to the Nationalist People’s Coalition and Nacionalista Party.
The consultation among family members and local officials is now ongoing as part of the strengthening of their local organization.
“We want to make sure first that we can commit a majority vote from Samar province for a presidential candidate,” she added.
Although the official is not a member of the ruling Liberal Party, she noted that their province never suffered discrimination during the Aquino administration.
“We get what we want for as long as we’re able to justify our needs to the cabinet secretaries,” Tan recalled.
The predominantly farming and fishing province had a poverty incidence of 36 percent as of 2012, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority. (PNA)