Tagbilaran City Vice-Mayor Veloso dismissed the speculations that he joined the camp of former mayor Dan Lim.
Veloso belied reports that he already shifted allegiance to Lim to challenge incumbent Tagbilaran City Mayor John Geesnell Yap in the mayoralty race in 2016.
The vice mayor made this clear in an interview with DYRD Balita yesterday.
Veloso issued the statement in reaction to the report that he had been seen attending the birthday celebration of Manga Barangay Captain Leda Saco where he allegedly met with former mayor’s leaders to discuss political alliance for 2016.
The vice mayor clarified that he never attended Saco’s birthday celebration, since he had an appointment to attend during that day.
The issue cropped up following a news report that during the occasion of Saco’s birthday, the vice mayor allegedly met with Lim’s leaders to discuss his possible tandem with City Councilor Nerio Zamora II against Yap who still has to announce his runningmate.
Yap’s runningmate in the 2013 elections, former city councilor Anne Mariquit Oppus—also an advocate of women’s and children’s welfare—lost to Veloso.
It had been going around the political mill that since then, Oppus and Yap had been nursing a severed political relationship.
As of now, consultation process continues between the local Liberal Party where he belongs and the local NUP group of Yap for a possible tandem in 2016.
Yap had earlier hinted that he is inclined to get Veloso as his runningmate in 2016 elections.
On the other hand, Lim—the mayor’s uncle—had reportedly been choosing to for a another attempt in the congressional race in the first District or for the gubernatorial race.
It had also been reported that the former mayor would be leading Vice President Jejomar Binay’s group in Bohol.
Lim already lost to former governor, now First District Rep. Rene Relampagos in the congressional race in 2013.
Lim’s gubernatorial pet in 2013, former Carmen mayor Conchita Toribio-Delos Reyes also lost to then reelectionist Gov. Edgar Chatto.
This time, Delos Reyes has expressed intention to challenge two-termer, Third District Rep. Arthur Yap—a former Presidential adviser on jobs creation before being appointed as NFA administrator and then as Department of Agriculture secretary.
Delos Reyes flaunts wealth, while Yap underlines countryside development through projects, medical assistance, farm-to-market roads, college scholarships, and House Bills on economic advancement, among others.