TACLOBAN CITY- Former Court of Appeals Justice and Congressman Vicente Ching Veloso transferred his voter’s registration to Isabel, Leyte today, March 11, 2024.
The event was witnessed by his supporters in the fourth district of Leyte, along with five mayors from the district namely Palompon, Leyte Mayor Ramon Oñate; Matag-ob, Leyte Mayor Bernie Tacoy; Isabel, Leyte Mayor Atty. Dodo Cordeño; Merida, Leyte Mayor Rolando Villasencio; and Albuera, Leyte Mayor Sixto Dela Victoria.
Aside from the mayors in the fourth district of Leyte, Veloso was also accompanied by officials from the third district of Leyte such as Villaba, Leyte Mayor Engr. Carlos Veloso and Vice-Mayor Dennis Sy; Calubian, Leyte Mayor Marciano Batiancela Jr. and Vice-Mayor Bing Veloso; Tabango, Leyte Vice-Mayor Dr. Roslie Omega, as well as some supporters and active leaders from the third district of Leyte.
Several prominent families from the fourth district of Leyte, such as the Codilla and Larazabal families, also joined him.
In his address to his supporters, Veloso expressed that he did not expect to return to the fourth district of Leyte as none of his children wanted to replace or succeed him as congressman in the third district of Leyte, where his daughter Congresswoman Atty. Anna Victoria Veloso-Tuazon, has no plans to enter politics due to vote buying, and she was only forced to run in the previous election because she had no opponent.
Veloso’s return to the fourth district is a result of his visit to various areas within the district from Palompon to Albuera, where he saw many people suffering.
Furthermore, he shared the accounts told to him by mayors in the fourth district of Leyte such as the abuse and unfair treatment by Congressman Richard Gomez in the district. First, Gomez’s altercation with two barangay captains simply because they did not acknowledge him as their representative; second, the failure to provide subsidies from the government to beneficiaries for their electrical consumption; third, some lands covered by the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program or CARP are now owned by Congressman Richard Gomez; fourth, the lack of assistance received by the poor; fifth, lack of support from the representative for the local government of Merida, Leyte and other local government units in the district; sixth, in Isabel, Leyte, lack of assistance to students and failure to fulfill their promise to help those in the relocation area; seventh, harassment of Palompon, Leyte Mayor Ramon Oñate particularly the execution of a search warrant to conduct an excavation on his land in San Joaquin, Palompon, Leyte, and search for chicken manure.
Veloso also revealed the closure of sand and gravel operations in Ormoc and the ongoing quarrying operation in Kananga, as well as a poultry farm owned by the family of Congressman Richard Gomez, the Leyte Poultry Development Corporation (LPDC) which is now already completed. The estimated cost of this poultry is 270 million pesos.
In response, Veloso reiterated his call for Congressman Gomez to make amends with the people he wronged, as failing to do so would also lead him to jail.
To those asking if he will run for congressman in the fourth district of Leyte, Veloso answered directly, “Yes,” he will run for congressman especially now that he already transferred in Isabel, Leyte.
Veloso promised that if he is elected congressman in the fourth district of Leyte, he will jail those who deserve to be jailed. He also promised that he will not abuse his power and will serve the people based on what the constitution says, that government officials should serve the people.
He also said that if he becomes congressman in the fourth district of Leyte, the people in the fourth district will be the congressman in the congress. (Forefront Tacloban)