Bacolod Rep. Greg Gasataya said “the political deception and sham thrown against me by Mayor Bing (Leonardia) are false accusations”.
Gasataya posted on his Facebook page tonight, Nov. 30, that “while it is true that I did not express my support in favor of any mayoralty candidate consistent with my position, it does not necessarily follow that I will also have to decline any form of support coming from either party who wishes to do so.”
“Political color coding is too petty for such a hasty conclusion of political deception. For me, political deception is projecting that you honor my neutrality while your key political leaders on the ground are acting otherwise,” the solon said.
Gasataya was reacting to the pronouncements of Leonardia and the Grupo Progreso Nov. 26 that his declaration of neutrality “is a sham and no longer believable”, so they have dropped him from their line-up in the May 2022 elections.
But he claimed that he received “verified information from our political leaders and supporters even before the filing of COCs in October that the persons behind the candidacy of another congressional candidate are the political operators of Mayor Bing within the party.”
“These personalities, who are known to me, have orchestrated and have been working tirelessly to promote another congressional candidate, yet they heard nothing from me because of my firm commitment to neutrality,” Gasataya said.
He said he has always been consistent with his position of being neutral between former congressman Albee Benitez and Leonardia because of their invaluable contributions to his personal and political life.
“Should Mayor Bing and/or his proxies endorse another congressional candidate on the basis of these false accusations of political deception against me, then I will be left with no other choice but to deal with it accordingly,” Gasataya stressed.
“For now, I will stay focused on the many things still needed to be done for the welfare of our beloved people as we recover from this pandemic. As incumbent officials, may we not forget that we still have a lot of work to do,” he said.
The solon, meanwhile, thanked Benitez for his confidence in his performance, competence, and character as congressman, and the leaders and supporters of Asenso Bacolod.
“I extend my sincere gratitude as well to the Grupo Progreso leaders and supporters, who assured me of their full support openly and through text messages, and more importantly the people of Bacolod, whose kind words and assurances continue to inspire me to work even harder,” Gasataya added. | NND
