Vice President Jejomar Binay, the man many believed to be a shoo-in in the 2016 presidential derby, fired the opening salvo in Bohol politics with the swearing in of its gubernatorial candidate in feisty Carmen Mayor Conchita “Che” Toribio de los Reyes. Other prospective bets in the towns who swore in before the vice president were Panglao V-Mayor Evangeline Bon Lazaro, Mark Monton, a candidate for mayor in Balilihan, among others. Lazaro’s vice mayoralty bet is former Panglao vice mayor Pedro Fuertes. They were inducted as new members of Binay’s United Nationalist Alliance (UNA). With the vice president, the occasion was used as a show of force of the newly-formed advocacy group headed by de los Reyes with City Mayor Dan Neri Lim as its point man. Officially, Lim is the group’s secretary-general.

Breezing into town from Argao, Cebu, the vice president Binay administered the oath-taking of new UNA members at the Holy Name University gymnasium.  Binay was here for less than an hour for the swear-in rites of new UNA members just in time for the filing of the certificate of the candidacy (COC) slated on Oct. 1-5, 2012. More than 2,000 participants attended the Binay meeting according to Monton, the candidate who is tangling with the Chattos in Balilihan.  In coming here, Binay passed thru Argao, Cebu province onboard Lite shipping and embarked at Loon port then to this city. In Argao, he was guest of another engagement. Accompanying him was former Bohol Vice-Gov. Julius Caesar Herrera. He immediately left this city onboard the afternoon flight of PAL. As leader of the pack of new UNA followers, Mayor “Che” de los Reyes will challenge the incumbent Gov. Edgar Chatto in a showdown seen as both exciting as it is bloody in terms of logistics. The outspoken gubernatorial candidate is known to be fully loaded financially.

Also sworn in during Thursday’s induction rites were Tagbilaran City Vice-Mayor Jas Tirol-Montes; former Lila Mayor Telesforo Balagosa, incumbent Dauis Mayor Jimmy Jimenez of Dauis town and Victorio Migriño, cousin of Gov. Chatto.  Others who also took their oaths before VP Binay were incumbent Mayor Tom Gonzaga of Danao town; incumbent Vice-Mayor Fructuso “Tusoy” REdulla of Maribojoc town; businesswoman Nita Cubrado who is eyeing for mayor of Pilar town; businessman Ben Gamalo, who also is touted to be gunning for mayor in Valencia town; businesswoman Liezl Orcollo-Go, who is running for mayor in Loon town and their followers.

Binay pinned hope in Mayor De los Reyes who is a successful businesswoman in running the affairs of the province through the Bag-ong Bol-anon advocacy group. “Ang Bohol is ready for change” with De los Reyes, Binay told the jam-packed HNU gym, saying that running the government is like managing the business. Both Vice-Mayor Jas Montes and Leizl Orcollo-Go said in radio interviews that they thanked Vice-President Binay for the visit that formally created the UNA Bohol chapter. Former city councilor Danilo Bantugan told the live radio interview that Binay’s swearing in of members was the first in indorsing local bets under UNA umbrella.  Meanwhile, Monton, a trusted aide of Mayor Lim bared that Bag-ong Bol-anon movement is growing rapidly which has now some 41,000 car-bearing members after it was launched just a month ago. There are still others, may be thousands are waiting their turns to become members, he said, adding that these people are enticed for a new hope and for a new change that Bag-ong Bol-anon is advocating, said Monton.