Canoy to Candy: No

By CONG B. CORRALES, Associate Editor
and LITO RULONA, Correspondent .

FORMER mayor Reuben Canoy declined to run for vice mayor under the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas, leaving the party’s standard bearer Ma. Lourdes Darimbang without a running mate.

Canoy turned down the offer on Wednesday, the last day for the filing of certificates of candidacy and a day after Darimbang announced that her running mate would be the erstwhile mayor and member of President Duterte’s Consultative Committee (Concom) that drafted a proposed replacement to the 1987 Constitution.

On his Facebook page “Reuben R. Canoy Perspective,” this message was posted: “We would like to thank you for your continuing support. Atty. Canoy has declined the invitation of Partido Federal ng Pilipinas to run as vice mayor on its slate for 2019, citing his advanced age and health issues as reasons.”

Canoy’s daughter Rhona, however, is running as one of the candidates for city council seats in the 1st District under Darimbang’s group.

Had he decided to be Darimbang’s running mate, Canoy would have faced former mayor Vicente Emano and reelectionist Vice Mayor Raineir Joaquin Uy in the 2019 race for the second highest city hall position.

On Tuesday when she filed her certificate of candidacy for mayor, Darimbang revealed that she has long prepared to run for either mayor or vice mayor, and that she had hoped to forge a coalition agreement with the Padayon Pilipino of Emano and the Centrist Democratic Party of ex-congressman Rufus Rodriguez.

Darimbang said the coalition talks collapsed, and she blamed it on former Agriculture undersecretary Jose Gabriel La Viña, now the standard bearer of the Padayon Pilipino-CDP coalition.

She said La Viña came into the picture out of the blue and started imposing what he wanted about who should run for what position.

“For many months, I have been declaring that I would run for mayor or vice mayor. Pag-abot ni Pompee (La Viña) na-usab na ang panagsabot,” she said.

Darimbang also revealed for the first time that her 2016 congressional bid was not her choice but that was what the Emano group wanted her to do.

“Ila akong gipadagan sa una as congresswoman but it was not my choice,” she said.

Darimbang, a councilor at that time, lost to reelectionist Rep. Rolando Uy of the 1st District. She subsequently filed an election case and refused to accept defeat, alleging that she was a victim of electoral fraud.

She said she began setting her eyes on a higher local position after she was elected as a councilor because she wanted to better serve Cagayan de Oro.

“Mo-insist gyud si Pompee nga ipa-Congress na pud ko… Nag-ingon gyud si Pompee kanako nga he would impose or select a vice mayoral candidate if he files his certificate of candidacy for city mayor. Siya gyud kuno ang mag-buot,” she said. “They have to respect my choice and decision. The choice of the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas is for me to run for a local position. In a coalition, they must respect it.”

Darimbang said there were talks among the political groupings, and she pointed out that in a “normal” political coalition, the parties should have equal representation in the coalition ticket.

“Bahala na unta o ang amo is vice mayor lang and eight other slots for city councilors pero wala man paminawa ni Pompee og nag-insist man gihapon. Ako siyang gi-ingnan nga kung sa Padayon Pilipino ka then his running mate should come from another party,” she said.

Because La Viña was imposing himself, Darimbang said she left and decided to form her own ticket.

“I was so disappointed. Pompee was not around during the previous coalition, unya mikalit lang siya motunga,” she said.