Chiz’s supporters in limbo; may support other candidates

By ARIS R. ILAGAN
November 26, 2009, 3:04pm


Supporters of Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero, who had been pushing for his presidential bid for the May 2010 elections, are now left in limbo after the senator abandoned his plan to seek the country’s highest post.

Gil Cantomayor, regional coordinator of the Kay Chiz Kami (KCK) Movement based in North Cotabato, claimed in a telephone interview that although their group was left in an “inactive” status following the declaration of Escudero to abandon his presidential ambition, they remain intact and are now waiting for the result of a consensus among their leaders if they will support another presidential candidate for next year’s polls or just disband.

The KCK, composed mainly of the youth sector, was formed last February and since then it was actively involved in the information drive to promote the candidacy of Escudero. It has more than 2,000 active members from each of the country’s region who gathered signatures to promote the presidential bid of Escudero.

The KCK has established big mass base in the areas of Central Mindanao, Pangasinan, Cebu, Batangas, Iloilo, Bicol and Metro Manila in preparation for Escudero’s presidential bid, he added.

Prior to his declaration to forgo his presidential ambition, Escudero first resigned as member of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) last Oct. 28 after he reportedly failed to obtain the endorsement of party leaders and members for his political plans.

When asked to comment on Escudero’s decision to quit the presidential race, Cantomayor, a local broadcaster based in Makilala, North Cotabato, said, “we are not angry at Chiz. But we were hurt by his sudden decision.”

Cantomayor said that they felt that the KCK was dropped like a hot potato by Escudero after he failed to consult them on his recent political moves.

And now that Escudero has decided to finish his three remaining years as senator, Cantomayor expressed strong possibility that the KCK membership will shift its support to another presidential candidate in the next few weeks.

Cantomayor claimed that the KCK has mapped out their campaign plan and political strategy in the national scale to ensure the victory of Escudero even before he made his decision to forego his dream of becoming the country’s next leader.


Source: http://mb.com.ph/node/231264/chiz-