Rebaldo, Regalado back Villar-Loren, join NP
BY BOY RYAN B. ZABAL

KALIBO, Aklan - Two Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) hopefuls joined the Nacionalista Party (NP) of presidential candidate Senator Manuel Villar, Jr. and running mate Senator Loren Legarda last week.
Three-termer Kalibo mayor Raymar Rebaldo and former SP member Santiago Regalado were the newest NP members as they were sworn in by Villar in Balete, Aklan, in a simple ceremony on Wednesday. Villar and his senatorial candidates visited the provinces of Aklan and Capiz to kick-off their election sortie in Visayas.
The formal affiliation of Rebaldo, island cluster president of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines and lawyer Regalado into the Villar-led party, was witnessed by reelectionist Vice Governor Gabrielle Calizo-Quimpo, who is pushing strongly for NP's vision in the province.
"This is a welcome development for us and the province of Aklan. We are grateful to the support of Aklanons for the party and its standard-bearer for the forthcoming elections in May," Quimpo pointed out.

The vice governor forged an alliance with Tibyog Akean leaders Aklan Governor Carlito Marquez and Rep. Florencio Miraflores for the so-called United Leadership Coalition last year. With Rebaldo and Regalado now joining the NP slate, the party now has at least four candidates for the legislative council in the Eastern District.
Rebaldo, who filed his candidacy as independent for the Eastern District, was a staunch political ally of Lakas-CMD since 2001 before he left the administration party for NP. He was credited for making the capital town of Kalibo as first-class municipality and the center of trade and commerce in Aklan while Regalado, a native of Batan, Aklan, also served as two-termer SP member.

Other SP candidates in the Eastern District are reelectionist Nemesio Neron, Daisy Sucro-Briones, Rodson Mayor and Jean Rodriguez, Lilian Tirol, all of Tibyog Akean and NP bets Alita Venus and Rizal Rodriquez, Jr.