EXCLUSIVE | BUKIDNON NEWS | BUKIDNON ONLINE | BUKIDNON ELECTIONS 2013 – Team PNoy visited Malaybalay City, Bukidnon Wednesday to attend a student forum reportedly organized by one of the college departments of Bukidnon State University but only 3 candidates showed up. Other candidates sent proxies and video messages.

Only Bam Aquino, Jamby Madrigal and Cynthia Villar were present at the student forum cum campaign rally. Former Bukidnon First District Congressman JR Nereus “Neric” Acosta and incumbent Senator TG Guingona, who also served as Bukidnon Second District Congressman before becoming a senator, played hosts to Team PNoy campaign manager Senator Franklin Drilon and the rest of the group.

Team PNoy senatorial candidates Chiz Escudero, Sonny Angara, Koko Pimentel and Sonny Trillanes had tarpaulins and posters. Escudero sent in a video message complete with Bukidnon tourist spots in the background. Despite his physical absence, the roughly 3,000 people inside Bukidnon State University Gymnasium shrieked as his videos were shown.

Actress and singer Sheryl Cruz was present to stand as proxy for her cousin Grace Poe, Loren Legarda sent her son Leandro who also garnered shrieks from college students while Pimentel sent his first cousin Astravel Pimentel-Naic. Pimentel’s absence in what was supposed to be his first campaign rally in Bukidnon since Juan Miguel Zubiri’s resignation from the Senate was considered curious. Talks and theories were ripe during the rally that Pimentel wanted to completely avoid Bukidnon. Pimentel’s staff told Bukidnon Online, however, that the senator had a TV interview and he also needed to prepare for a joint committee hearing on electoral reforms, scheduled to be held today, February 28.

Despite the low turnout of Team PNoy candidates, Drilon, Acosta and Guingona are all still confident that their bets will win in Bukidnon.

Also spotted during the campaign rally were local political allies including Malou Acosta-Alba and Engr. Wenifredo Agripo. Re-electionist Bukidnon Second District Congressman Florencio Flores, Jr., a Nacionalista Party member, accompanied Villar. Malaybalay City mayoralty candidate Vic Aldeguer was seen outside the gym, waiting for the Team PNoy members. Photos of him and Madrigal later surfaced. Madrigal raised Aldeguer’s hand, as if to endorse the latter.

When asked by Bukidnon Online if gubernatorial candidate Allan Bigcas was invited to the forum, Neric Acosta merely laughed. Since filing for his candidacy as Bukidnon governor, Bigcas has insisted that he is a Liberal Party member. Team PNoy is allied with Liberal Party. Photos of Bigcas with Aldeguer and Madrigal also later surfaced.

The Province of Bukidnon is considered an opposition country. In 2010, Benigno Aquino III lost to former President Joseph Estrada in Northern Mindanao areas including Bukidnon. Estrada got 200,449 votes in Bukidnon while Aquino only got 157,417. (BukidnonOnline.com)

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