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Roxas Slams Malon

MAASIN CITY - What was supposed to be a peaceful political rally turned nasty when Liberal Party vice presidential candidate Mar Roxas slammed city officials for not allowing them to use the city gymnasium.

“Hindi kami binigyan ng permiso na gumamit sa gym, tayo naman ang nagbabayad ng buwis at tayo nagpapasweldo sa kanila!” an obviously peeved Roxas said.

The senator’s accusation was apparently directed at City Mayor Maloney Samaco whose office handles such requests.

However the mayor’s secretary Ms. Zoey Espina denied Roxas’s accusation and told the Southern Leyte Times they had not received any request from the rally organizers to use the gym facility. She said “what the LP organizers requested for was the use of the Anatalio Gaviola Plaza which we granted.

“How could he claim that when it is on record that they requested for the use of the plaza?” The rally which was held right in front of Our Lady of the Assumption Parish was organized by the local PMP-NPC-LP coalition with the help of some church workers and priests.
When we called the OLAP office however to ask if priests were now allowed to campaign for political candidates, we were informed that father Garnet Kirong a known Nonoy Aquino supporter, was at Monte Cueva. When we asked Bishop Precioso Cantillas if he had authorized the rallyist to use the church grounds, he said he gave them permission because the rally organizers claimed they were not issued a permit to use the gym.

He did not elaborate.

We tried to contact Mayor Maloney Samaco for his comments on Senator Roxas’s allegations but failed to reach him.

Samaco is running for re-election against former governor Rossette Lerias.

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