Zambo mayor backs Roxas as LP bet

ZAMBOANGA CITY — Mayor Ma. Isabelle Clima-co-Salazar has declared that she will toe the line of the Liberal Party (LP) on its choice for President Benig-no Simeon Aquino III’s successor.

Salazar issued the statement after President Aquino endorsed Local Government Sec. Manuel Roxas II as his preferred successor in a gathering last week at the Club Pilipino in San Juan City.

Salazar said that as a lo-yal LP member herself, she will always follow and abide by the party’s decision endorsing Roxas, or anybody for that matter, as its standard bearer in the 2016 presidential elections.

However, Salazar said she will not compromise her stand against any attempt to include this city in the Bangsamoro autonomous region that the proposed Bangsa-moro Basic Law (BBL) seeks to establish.

“I will support whoever the party will choose for president, but I will remain firm against the BBL whoever is the president,” she vowed.

She said that Roxas knew long before he became cabinet secretary that the Zam-boangueños are strongly opposed to inclusion in Bangsa-moro and “our stand will remain that way” even if he will be the president.

Roxas was among those who stood against the now defunct memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain (MOA-AD) that majority of the Zamboangaue-ños had also opposed in 2008 under the administration of then President Gloria Arroyo.

The MOA-DA was eventually declared by the Supreme Court as unconstitutional and contrary to law. Meanwhile, Salazar said the local chapter of LP will organize a slate as soon as she gets the legal documents from the LP national headquarters.

Salazar disclosed that they filled up the documents on Tuesday during the gathering of what she called “best friends” of Roxas.

She said that it will be Roxas who will decide if and when there will be realignment of LP members “because he is already the chosen one.” (pna)