I'm Retired in Politics in 2019 - Mayor Bobom

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

URDANETA CITY – The outgoing mayor here denied he has a moist eye in the 2019 congressional election.

Mayor Amadeo "Bobom" Gregorio Perez IV dismissed the speculations of some political pundits that after he finished his third term in June 30, 2019 he will be throwing his hat for the congressional race in the 5^th District of Pangasinan.

“That is not true. After I stepped down in office I considered myself retired in politics,” he answered to the query of Northern Watch Newspaper.

POLITICAL ELITES - Urdaneta City Mayor Bobom Perez (left) and

 Pangasinan 5^th District Congressman Amado T. Espino, Jr. Photo Credit: 

Politiko.com

During the seven years stint of Perez this largest cattle trading city in Northern Luzon burgeoned where it strutted with an annual appropriation budget of P850 million this year. It is a No. 2 spot after Dagupan City with a budget of P858 billion in the nine cities and four provinces’ Region 1.

When this paper told him that Vice Mayor Julio Parayno III said recently to reporters in Dagupan City that in case the District Congressman Amado T. Espino, Jr. will not run for the mayoralty here, he and his nephew this City’s Councilor Jimmy D. Parayno will challenge the groomed tandem of former Ambassador Amadito Perez, Jr. and this City’s Councilor Tet Perez- Naguiat (wife of former PAGCOR Chair Cristino Naguiat) who will vie for the mayorship and vice mayorship, respectively.

Amadito and Naguiat are the father and sister of Mayor Perez.

Moreover, according to political kibitzers in case Mayor Perez will not run for the congressional seat, the District will be seeing outgoing  Binalonan Mayor Ramon “Mon Mon” Guico III, Board Members Clemente “Niño” Arboleda and Chinky Perez-Tababa as probable candidates for the eight towns and a city’s District.

The District's Former Representative Kimi Cojuangco would not be making a comeback, according to a source closed to the Cojuangcos.

“It will be former congressman Mark Cojuangco with the backing of Danding for the governorship in 2019”

Mark is the husband of Kimi while Danding is the Chairman of the largest food and beverage corporation in the Philippines San Miguel Corporation and the father of Mark.

In the 2016 election, Mark Cojuangco lost to Amado I. Espino III by 223,012 votes where the latter got 736,909 votes and the former garnered 513,897 votes.

Espino is the son of then outgoing Pangasinan Governor Amado T. Espino Jr, who is the present solon of the 5^th District.

Sources said that the loss of Cojuangco in the gubernatorial election was blamed on the lukewarm financial support of his father where he had a falling out.

Another source, who also asked anonymity, cited that Danding and Mark had reconciled and the former felt bad what befell his son on the result of the 2016 poll.

READ: 

 Perez, Parayno, Espino for Urdaneta City Mayor?