Nadya claims her hubby was nominated by party’s board

By SHIELA MAE BUTLIG
Correspondent .

THE president of the Padayon Pilipino has claimed that members of the board of the political party took it upon themselves to endorse her husband President to the position of provincial board member.

Councilor Nadya Elipe, Padayon Pilipino president (not chairperson as reported earlier), said the nomination of ex-councilor President Elipe came from the Padayon Pilipino board.

But a member of the party’s board, provincial board member Gerardo Sabal, earlier said he was unaware of the nomination, adding that there was no formal meeting about Elipe’s nomination although the matter was a subject of informal discussions. He however said he would adhere to the decision.

Ms. Elipe said the party’s board includes herself, her father Vicente, brother Yevgeny Vincente, the governor of Misamis Oriental; former congressman Jose Benjamin Benaldo, provincial board member Gerardo Sabal, Dayen Juson, former councilor Alden Bacal and Councilor Leon Gan

The elder Emano, a former governor and city mayor, is the chairman of Padayon Pilipino (not president as reported earlier) while his governor-son serves as vice chairman.

Councilor Gan, a Padayon Pilipino officer, earlier claimed he was among those who agreed to nominate Mr. Elipe to the position left vacant by provincial board member Mario Emano who passed away last year.

At presstime, there is no way of independently validating if Benaldo, Juson and Bacal, like Sabal, were aware of the supposed Padayon Pilipino board approval of Elipe’s nomination or if they even attended a supposed meeting on the matter.

Since last week, most Padayon Pilipino members declined to talk about the nomination of their party president’s husband. Even members of the family of the late Mario Pelaez opted to keep mum.

This paper sought the comment of the late provincial board member’s son (not brother as reported last week) Prince Omar Emano, the chairman of Poblacion, Tagoloan town. He declined to say anything about the nomination.

His sister Princess, who works as a staff member at the Misamis Oriental Integrated Sports Center, also declined to be interviewed. The facility is being managed by the Padayon Pilipino nominee.

Meanwhile, Mr. Elipe maintained that his nomination came only after Mario Emano’s family members supposedly said they were uninterested in replacing the late provincial board member.

Elipe said members of Mario Emano’s family may have opted to keep silent about it because they were the shy type. “Mga mang giulawon gyud ni sila,” said Elipe.

His wife said the party’s leadership had also considered five members of the Padayon Pilipino outside Mario Emano’s family before the seven-person board of the party decided to nominate the ex-councilor and general manager of the sports center.

She declined to identify the five party members, asserting that “it will be unfair to them.”

Mr. Elipe also said the same thing: “I will not name names because it will be unfair to them.”