Bacolod Rep. Greg Gasataya has denied the accusations of Bacolod Mayor Evelio “Bing” Leonardia that his pledge to stay neutral on the mayoral race in Bacolod City has been a sham and political deception.
“I have always been consistent with my position of being neutral between former Congressman Albee Benitez and Mayor Bing Leonardia for reasons I have previously stated among which is my gratefulness to both of them for their invaluable contributions to my personal and political life, “ he said in a statement on his Facebook page Tuesday night, November 30.
This is despite receiving verified information from political leaders and supporters even before the filing of the Certificates of Candidacy in October that the persons behind the candidacy of another congressional candidate are the political operators of Leonardia within Grupo Progreso, Gasataya said.
“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.
“Regarding the false accusations of political deception and sham that was thrown against me by Mayor Bing, 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,” he said.
“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,” he said.
Should Leonardia or his proxies endorse another congressional candidate on the basis of these false accusations of political deception against him, then he will be left with no other choice but to deal with it accordingly, Gasataya said.
“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 added.
He thanked Benitez for reiterating his confidence in his performance, competence and character as congressman of Bacolod as well as the leaders and supporters of Asenso Bacolod.
Gasataya also thanked the Grupo Progreso leaders and supporters who assured him 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.”*