By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Moises Padilla Mayor Magdaleno Peña recently criticized Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon, Jr. over his reported appointment as chairman of the PDP-Laban in Negros Occidental.

In a statement forwarded to local media, Peña said the governor should have “delicadeza,” reminding him of his actions during the 2016 presidential campaign conducted in opposition to then-Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.

After learning of the proposal, following an announcement by Negros Occidental PDP-Laban Secretary-General Yves Akol, Peña claimed he discussed the matter with national party leaders and reminded them of the insults lodged by the governor towards Duterte during the campaign period.

“The governor may have felt sore at me, being a lump in his throat, because I objected to his alleged appointment as PDP-Laban chairman,” Peña said.

The Moises Padilla mayor also recalled an incident that took place during the recent Philippine Sugarcane Farming Mechanization Expo opening, where Marañon, Jr. called for Peña to “sit down.

“I did not hear the governor telling me to sit down as I was standing in front and I turned my back [to] him,” Peña explained. “If I did, I would have approached him and pushed him to sit down on the floor of the SRA Auditorium, which I can do anytime I want.”

He also clarified statements made by the governor, who remarked President Rodrigo Duterte did not win Moises Padilla during the 2016 presidential election.

“Indeed, President Duterte did not win in Moises Padilla,” he said.

Peña claimed Marañon visited the municipality twice during the campaign period in opposition to both his and Duterte’s election bids.

The mayor noted, however, “Duterte won overwhelmingly and ranked first in Pulupandan, my other town.”

The Moises Padilla mayor previously held the same position in Pulupandan, where his son, Miguel, is the current mayor./DGB, WDJ