KIDAPAWAN CITY — Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol, newly appointed provincial chair of ruling political party PDP, on Thursday said he would reunite the tri-people of the province and push for better governance at the local level.
Piñol made the statement in a phone interview after he took his oath before Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III in Manila Wednesday as party provincial chair for North Cotabato.
“I will do all my best to introduce reforms in my province,” Piñol said, adding that he considers his appointment to the party provincial chairmanship as “a vote of confidence.”
Piñol, a journalist-turned-politician, was elected governor of North Cotabato in 1998 and served his full three terms of nine years. In 2007, he was elected vice governor from 2007 to 2010.
He said as party provincial chair, he had key role in choosing party candidates for local posts. The agriculture secretary said he would select and appoint party candidates who were supporting the programs of President Rodrigo Duterte.
He vowed to reunite local leaders who parted ways but support the current administration’s peace and development programs.
Piñol stressed that during the recent Cabinet meeting, President Duterte stressed that the traditional “3Gs” (guns, gold and goons) political practices must be stopped, most especially in Mindanao, come election time in 2019. (PNA)
