Catholic priest wants to run for governor

Manila: While professing his disdain for corruption-tainted politics which characterised Pampanga's affairs, a prominent Catholic leader in the province has expressed his desire to run for office as an alternative candidate for governor.

"Everything is set," Father Ed Panlilio of the parish of Guagua said as he aired his intention to run for governor of Pampanga, a province less than a hundred kilometres north of the capital.

Aside from serving the province for 26 years, Panlilio is well known as head of the cooperative, Talete King Panyulungning Kapampangan (TKPK).

TKPK has helped thousands of housemakers in Pampanga through its Grameen-type credit facility and had assured Panlilio of their political support in his bid.

Panlilio said he is running in the May 14 polls to present an "alternative moral choice" to traditional politicians who dominated the local political landscape for several years.

Gambling bastion

"Graft and corruption is prevalent in Pampanga and we want to present the people with an alternative," he said in an interview aired by the television programme Saksi.

Pampanga, considered as the culinary heartland of the country, has also earned an unsavoury reputation as a bastion of illegal gambling, particularly the illegal numbers game "jueteng."

"We don't want anymore traditional politicians. We really want change," the 53-year-old priest said.

If his plans push through, Panlilio will be running against entrenched politicians such as incumbent governor Mark Lapid and provincial board member Lilia Pineda, whose husband Bong Pineda is allegedly close to President Gloria Arroyo.