- Councilor Abellera leaves Hugpong; to run under Marcos Jr’s party
REELECTIONIST Councilor “Small” Nilo Abellera Jr. insisted that his commitment to public service will remain strong as he filed his candidacy for councilor in the city’s 1st district on Friday, Oct. 4, under the party of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Abellera will run under the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP), a national party chaired by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Meanwhile, Hugpong is a party founded by former President Rodrigo Duterte, whose family is now at odds with the administration.
In an interview on Friday morning, Abellera explained, “Before, when I ran, my official ballot was with Hugpong. But you know what happened—it was the last time and it will never happen again. For now, I’m not part of Hugpong; I’m running under PFP.”
When asked about the advantages of running under PFP, he remarked, “Are there advantages? It’s the same because, regardless of your party, if the people don’t like you, I don’t think the party is the basis; it should be the candidate.”.
He then showed the media his certification of nomination and acceptance signed by Secretary Leo Magno of the Mindanao Development Authority.
“But I really don’t know in terms of support from PFP,” he said. “I’m just a member running under them but those who will decide are the party leaders. We will wait for the support they will provide,” he added.
When asked about his platform as a reelectionist city councilor, he stated, “It’s always the same. The Abellera family is committed to serving the public so that the public will continue to support us.”
Abellera took about an hour to complete his filing at the Comelec office but he said “there were no significant problems.”
When asked if other councilors in the city would run under PFP, he replied, “I don’t know about that. Maybe the head of the party can answer. I’m just a candidate for councilor under PFP.”
“I will leave it to them to announce that,” he added. “Even the mayor, vice mayor, congressman, and councilors will know about it on Oct. 8.”
When asked if he consulted his father about his candidacy, he responded, “Whenever we run, it is always a family consultation, and we also consult with our local leaders.”
Photo courtesy of Rhoda Grace B Saron
