"Definitely yes."

Gretchen Oppen Cojuanco, wife of business tycoon Eduardo Cojuangco, has finally decided to run for congresswoman of the fourth district of Negros Occidental, her son Rep. Carlos Cojuangco (4th District, Negros Occ.) confirmed yesterday.

The solon is on his third term and cannot seek reelection.

Mrs. Cojuangco, who is a registered voter of Pontevedra town in the fourth district, has decided to run because she has some advocacies that she can push as a member of congress, such as the rights of battered women, education and the environment, the solon told the DAILY STAR in an exclusive interview.

Cojuangco said his mother has been pushing programs to improve the conditions of the people of the fourth district, which she will be able to further as a member of Congress.

"She might be even better at the job than me," he said, citing the passion his mother puts into projects she cares about.

When his father was governor of Tarlac, the solon said his mother had been exposed to working at helping people. He recalled that when a big flood hit Tarlac, his mother got on jeeps or hung out of a helicopter to help deliver assistance to people.

Cojuangco said his mother is not a politician, she will not mince words to get things done.

"She can get things done through her own initiative, her own enthusiasm, through her advocacy and networking," and, on top of that, she already knows a lot of people in Congress, including their spouses, he said.

The feedback on his mother's plans of running and preliminary surveys have been very good, the solon said, adding that his mother will run under the Nationalist People's Coalition-United Negros Alliance.

Meanwhile, the solon, who is a registered voter of Bago City, said he is not 100 percent sure that he is running for any elective post in 2007. However, if he decides to run its will be for a local post, but he would not say if he would go for mayor, vice mayor or councilor of Bago City.

The solon said he might decide not to run and go into private business and spend more time with his children, Claudia and Jaime. His wife Rio Diaz Cojuangco died in 2004 after a long battle with cancer.*Carla P. Gomez

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