CITY OF SAN FERNANDO — Governor Lilia G. Pineda denied rumors circulating in national newspapers that Malacanang is pressuring her to join the Liberal Party and slug it out with 2nd district Congresswoman Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in the upcoming 2013 elections.
This came as Dick Pascual, a Capampangan veteran columnist wrote in his column in a national newspaper that Gov. Lilia Pineda is being made to run against Rep. Gloria Arroyo in the second district composed of the towns of Floridablanca, Guagua, Lubao, Porac, Santa Rita and Sasmuan.
The governor said, in fairness to President Benigno Aquino III, no one among the members of Liberal Party has talked to her about joining the administration.
“Magagaling po ang mga miembro ng Liberal Party. Hindi po nila iisipin na kumbinsihin ako para maging mambabatas. No one convinces me to run against Congresswoman Arroyo whom I really have so much respect,” Pineda clarified.
The governor shed light that as public servant, she is neither inclined nor interested to become a congresswoman because her preference is more on public administration which deals with programs and services that directly serve the people particularly the vulnerable and the poorest of the poor.
“That’s my line of expertise and not on legislation. I love doing my job now as elected governor of my province,” she said.
However, Governor Pineda has expressed gratitude to the administration of President Aquino for helping the province of Pampanga in so many ways.
“The President is providing assistance through the provision of Philhealth cards to more than 47,000 Capampangan families identified under the National Household Targeting System, Z benefits from Philhealth, conditional cash transfer, assistance to farmers such as provision of farm machineries, certified seeds, construction of farm to market roads, irrigation canals, roads, bridges, among others.
“Hindi po pinababayaan ni Presidente ang Pampanga. Katunayan ay nagpapasalamat kami sa ginawa nilang pagdalaw sa gitna ng hagupit ng Habagat,” the governor said.
As of this time, the governor said she is busy on attending to the needs of the Capampangans who were affected by the torrential rains in the past weeks.
The governor through the assistance of the Department of Public Works and Highways, provincial engineering office and the local government untis is doing palliative measures on how to save several towns from the threat of cascading floodwater in the 3rd and 4thdistricts should heavy rains persist in the next several days, this rainy season.
By Joel P. Mapiles – PIO Pampanga
