Manila’s mayoral candidate Rep. Amado Bagatsing’s “LAB potion” is on a collision course with the “hate politics” being perpetrated by his rivals incumbent Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada and former city mayor Alfredo Lim.
“Lab potion” refers to the Lopez cousins Rep. Carlo and sportsman Manny, Councilor Ali Atienza, and the politically well-entrenched Bagatsing family made up of Amado himself, daughter Cristal, and nephew Councilor Don Juan.
“Our united and solid LAB-Kabaka Team will put an end to the kind of hate politics that our political opponents are dishing out on our decent and educated city electorates. We will discuss relevant issues and not indulge in petty personal assassination charges during the campaign. Manileños deserve competent leaders and not thrash-talking politicians,” Bagatsing told the The Standard on Wednesday.
EY ACASIO
Estrada has been calling Lim a blatant liar and a non-achiever during the lattter’s 12-year reign as city mayor (1992-98 and 2007-13).
Though Lim insisted that he left some P1.5 billion in the city coffers when he vacated his post and Estrada took over on July 2013, the latter claimed such was not the case and declared that the local government was bankrupt.
On the city-owned and operated public hospitals, Estrada added that not one such medical center was constructed during the incumbency of Lim.
To name three of these, Ospital ng Maynila in Malate district was built by then Mayor Arsenio H. Lacson, the Jose Abad Santos Hospital on Numancia St. in Binondo district was a project of former Mayor Lito Atienza and the Sta. Ana Hospital in Sta. Ana district was built by tycoon Lucio Tan.
Lim has been accusing Estrada of being a convicted plunderer and top enemy of the poor and marginalized sectors of Manilans, especially when the latter hiked exorbitantly medical fees and medicine costs in city-owned hospitals.
Lim also charges Estrada of increasing business and real property taxes by almost 300 percent, to the chargin and protestations of traders and businessmen.
Meanwhile, the LAB-Kabaka group spearheaded by sons of three former Manila mayors (Ramon Bagatsing, 1971-86; Mel Lopez, 1986-92, and Lito Atienza, 1998-2007) vowed to “overhaul and restructure the city government and the city proper” in order to regain the glory and grandeur of Manila.
Ali Atienza is Bagatsing’s running mate seeking the vice mayoral post, Manny Lopez wants to be the next congressman of First District of Tondo, Carlos Lopez is unopposed in the Second District also in Tondo, Don Ramon Bagatsing likes to be a congressional representative in the Fourth District of Sampaloc, and Cristal Bagatsing is happy to replace her dad (Rep. Amado) to represent the Fifth District in Congress.
Rounding up the formidable LAB-Kabaka team is another illustrious sibling of the late statesman Pablo Ocampo Sr., who is now a fifth-term congresswoman Sandy Ocampo who is seeking reelection.