Nani: Don’t politicize airport project
THERE is no stopping the construction of the Alaminos Airport, assured Mayor Hernani Braganza even if he no longer belongs to the ruling Lakas-Kampi-CMD party.
“This is a developmental project and not a political project, that is why we should not politicize the airport,” said Braganza, who is running for re-election under the Liberal Party (LP).
Speaking at the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkasters Forum on Thursday, Braganza clarified that despite his change in party affiliation, he is not at odds with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo who announced the approval of the airport project in her 2006 State of the Nation Address.
“In fairness to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo,” he said, “the construction of the airport will not be affected unless Lakas-Kampi-CMD will seek its deferment.”
Lakas-Kampi-CMD’s candidate for mayor against Braganza is 1st District Rep. Arthur Celeste, and talks are rife that the ruling party might seek the deferment if the airport issue is helping Braganza’s bid for a third term of office as city mayor.
But Braganza added that if the party resorts to its deferment, it would redound to a loss for the people of Pangasinan, not him.
He said t the bidding for the project was completed in the last quarter of 2009 and the fund for land acquisition for the airport runway was already transmitted by the national government to the city of Alaminos, and therefore work on the airport will not be affected by the ban on the construction of public works projects during the election.
He said joining the LP, whose presidential candidate is Senator Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, is in part returning the favor made by former President Corazon C. Aquino, Noynoy’s mother, in naming Braganza’s father as officer-in-charge of Alaminos City in 1986.
Also, Braganza said he considers Senator Mar Roxas, LP president and who is running for vice president, his mentor when he was a neophyte member of Congress.
Lakas-Kampi-CMD offered him to be the chairman of the party in Alaminos City to prevent him from leaving, but Braganza declined.—LM
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