There is no political alliance between Bacolod Rep. Anthony Golez Jr. and Jewel May Lobaton-Pimentel, Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III said Saturday in Bacolod City.
Pimentel had been asked if his wife, Jewel Mae, is running for vice mayor in Bacolod City in 2013.
“She is not running, so there is no political alliance to talk about,” he said.
Jewel Mae was not present during the Western Visayas Summit on Risk Reduction and Multi-Hazard Awareness at West Negros University in Bacolod City Saturday that was organized by Pimentel.
Golez and Jewel Mae jointly organized the Ang Batang Pinoy Movement at the Bacolod City National High School and the Jam Step held on Feb. 12.
Pimentel also clarified that the alleged promise of his wife to give P32 million for the renovation and improvement of the Bacolod Arts Center at the Bacolod City High National School to make it a world class sports center, is not true.
He said he only sat as senator in August 2011 when he should have secured the last post, instead of former Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri, but added that it is just a matter of time before he will be able to help the people of Bacolod.
Pimentel said he is not promising any amount for Bacolod yet, but he will try to help.
The summit Saturday was attended by about 200 participants in the region and included representatives of the local governments, rescue groups, the Bureau of Fire Protection led by Chief Insp. Pamela Rojane Candido, Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office, 303rd Infantry Brigade of the Philippine Army led by it deputy commanding officer Col. Jon Ayeng, and the Bacolod City Police Office led by Senior Supt. Ricardo de la Paz.
The speakers included National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council regional director Rosario Cabrera, Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology director Maria Leonila Bautista, Assistant Weather Service Chief Ma. Cecilia Monteverde, Mines and Geo Sciences Bureau regional director Leo Van Juguan, Alan Alvidera of the Department of Interior and Local Government VI, Esteban Godilano of Climate Change Coalition of the Philippines, among others.
Meanwhile, Pimentel said that if Zubiri is drafted by Vice President Jojemar Binay to run for senator in 2013 under his Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Laban ng Bayan ticket, he will respect the decision of the vice president because he is their boss.
Pimentel is the president of PDP-Laban.*CGS
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