Press Release
November 18, 2009

600 leaders join Villar's NP including Cagayan incumbents

Nacionalista Party (NP) President Manny Villar swore in over 600 leaders across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao as NP's newest recruits during the party's Wednesday fellowship held at the historic Laurel House in Shaw Boulevard, further widening its membership base and grassroots influence.

Among those who joined NP were Davao del Sur first district Rep. Marc Douglas Cagas; Zamboanga City second district Rep. Erico Basilio Fabian; Batanes Vice-Gov. William Agsunod; and Banaue, Ifugao Mayor Lino Madchiw.

Wife of detained Col. Ariel Querubin, Maria Flor Querubin, also took her symbolic oath before Villar. Her husband, a Medal of Valor awardee who is facing charges of mutiny in a military court, will make an announcement at the end of the month when he leaves the military and joins the political arena.

All the 29 towns of Cagayan, with over-all voting population of over 500,000, were represented as Board Members Wycoco Abraham and Washington Taguinod, vice-mayors, 51 councilors, and 66 aspirants also swore in as NP members.

Villar said, "We welcome you to the Nacionalista Party as our formidable partners in our struggle against our people's enemy which is poverty."

Rep. Cagas, formerly from Lakas-CMD, is the son of Gov. Douglas "Dodo" Cagas, who likewise defected to NP recently. "It is Sen. Manny Villar who has the leadership and management skills that the Filipino people seriously need today in order to break free from the shackles of poverty," Cagas said.

On the other hand, Fabian left Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP) to join NP. He focuses on improving the condition of hospitals for the promotion of health in Zamboanga.

The NP president also administered the oath to incumbent officials and aspirants from Leyte and Aklan including Board Member Ramon Gelito, Vice-Mayors Rizal Rodriguez and Dextero Obrique.

Former Vice-Gov. Jestoni Alarcon, who will run for Congressman in the second district of Antipolo, also took oath along with Rizal incumbents.

They joined the ranks of Governor Cagas; Camarines Sur Gov. LRay Villafuerte Jr., national chairman of the League of Provinces of the Philippines; Surigao del Norte Gov. Robert Ace Barbers; Biliran Gov. Rogelio "Roger" Espina; Cagayan Vice-Gov. Leonides "Odi" Fausto; Laguna Vice-Gov. Ramil Hernandez; Ilocos Norte Vice-Gov. Windell Chua; and Quirino Vice-Gov. Pasencia Bacani, who defected to NP.

The mass oathtaking took place a day after the announcement of the tandem of Villar and Sen. Loren Legarda for the 2010 elections.

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