Sen. Manuel “Lito” Lapid Tuesday announced that he was returning to Pampanga politics and run for governor in the next election.
Lapid, whose first term in the Senate ends in 2010, said he was more comfortable serving his province mates than being a senator.
“Dito ako komportable. Gusto ko yung malapit na serbisyo sa tao (I’m comfortable here. I prefer public service that is closer to the people),” he told reporters here.
The language barrier—Lapid openly concedes having limited skills in English—may have added to his discomfort.
As early as 2007, he filed a resolution calling for a Filipino translation of the Senate Rules of Procedure.
High school grad
When his resolution was finally adopted this year, the move was seen as a much-needed assist to the senator himself, a high school graduate and former movie star.
“Para maintindihan ng ating mga kababayan, isa na ako roon (So that our countrymen, and I myself, would understand),” Lapid told the Philippine Daily Inquirer in an interview early this year.
“Kasi Inglesan nang Inglesan dito. Matagal na rin ako dito pero marami pa rin akong hindi maintindihan na matataas na Ingles (That’s because English is widely spoken here, and I’ve been here for some time now but still don’t understand those high-falluting terms),” he had said in the same interview.
Senator vs governor
Lapid was an action star with a string of box-office hits before he entered politics. He served as provincial governor of Pampanga for nine years before winning a Senate seat in 2004.
Asked to compare his experience as a senator and a governor, he said: “When you are governor, you decide on your own. When you are in the Senate, you have to ask the decisions of [fellow] senators.”
Lapid, 53, said consultations with fellow senators delayed the delivery of public service so he decided to return to local politics where he could easily reach out to his province mates.
“I will continue with my candidacy regardless of opponent,” he said.
His administration, however, was plagued by allegations of irregularities in Pampanga’s sand quarrying industry.
He said he had discussed with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo his plan to seek the governor’s seat.
“I told President Arroyo that I wanted to go back to Pampanga to run for governor and she allowed me [to pursue my political plan],” said Lapid, who ran and won as an administration candidate of the Lakas-CMD in the 2004 senatorial elections.
Lapid’s running mate
During the press conference, Lapid introduced his running mate, neophyte politician Lea Dizon, his town mate in Porac town and daughter of real estate developer Tomas Dizon.
Asked to explain his choice, he said Dizon was God-fearing and trustworthy in handling the affairs of the provincial government. Dizon declined requests for interviews.
“[Dizon] will be my leading lady in the political arena,” Lapid said.
In 2007, Lapid ran for mayor but lost to Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay, a top leader of the opposition.
Despite the loss, Lapid retained his post in the Senate because election laws allowed him to serve the remainder of his six-year term.
He was the principal author of the Legal Assistance Act of 2008, a measure that grants tax incentives and perks to lawyers and their firms when they render free legal services to poor clients.
Back to Porac
Lapid transferred his voter’s registration from Makati City to Porac this year in preparation for his candidacy.
Vice Gov. Joseller Guiao earlier declared his intention to run for governor next year as a way of continuing the legacy of his late father, former Gov. Bren Guiao.
Pampanga Gov. Eddie Panlilio welcomed Lapid’s return to Pampanga politics, saying this would give Kapampangan voters more options when they choose their leader next year.
Plunder case
In June, Panlilio, a Catholic priest on leave who is serving his first term as governor, filed a plunder complaint against Lapid and his son, former Gov. Mark Lapid, for their alleged failure to account for P568 million in quarry taxes and fees during their terms.
The younger Lapid, now the Philippine Tourism Authority general manager, lost his reelection bid to Panlilio in 2007.
Up to the Ombudsman
Panlilio, who has dropped his bid to run for president, but has yet to announce if he is seeking reelection, said the campaign period would allow the older Lapid to air his side on the plunder charge.
Lapid said he would await the Ombudsman’s decision on the case. “It’s easy to accuse people of anything. I will leave the judgment … to the Ombudsman,” he said.
In his plunder complaint, Panlilio said the Lapids only collected P121 million in sand and gravel taxes from 2002 to June 2007, when collections should have amounted to at least P689 million.
