The fluid political landscape in Pangasinan

4th District Rep. Rachel Arenas

Bautista Mayor Amado "Pogi" Espino III

Business tycoon Cesar Quimbao

BY MORTZ C. ORTIGOZA

The present non-bailable crimes that confront former President Gloria M. Arroyo, former Comelec chair Benjamin Abalos, and two-star general Jovito Palparan have chilling effects to would-be malefactors.

That someday the long arm of the law would reach them for them to account for their sins.

The tragedy that befell Palparan and his aides particularly serves as a warning particularly to elective officials and policemen who flaunt how they summarily executed suspected criminals and political enemies of the State.

Susmariosep, you guys should now look to what happened to Palparan, Lt. Col. Felipe Anotado, MSgt. Rizal Hilario, and S/Sgt. Edgardo Osorio.

 Just imagine the mental torture you suffer in case you’re in the shoes of the “butcher” and his factotums.

Your braggadocios among your friends how you murdered people would now be your nightmare as you are now facing a crime that metes a life sentence, and your being arrested means confinement to jail until the case is concluded that take years as it is a non-bailable crime.

***

My only worry now is my “lola” Manoling Morato, former board director of the Philippine Charity Sweepstake Office, who was sued with a likewise non-bailable offense of plunder after he allegedly conspired with Rosario C. Uriarte, former PCSO general manager, and other high officials of the PCSO and Commission of Audit, and former president Arroyo.

Manoling and the rest were charged with illegally disbursing a staggering P391.9-million of the sweepstakes office.

I fear for my “lola.” Why?

Primordially, the detainees at the Manila City Jail composed of homicidal maniac and obnoxious - smelling Bahala na Gang, Oxo, ang Sigue-Sigue Sputnik gang members could harm Manoling.

“Patalikod silang bumanat doon (they attack treacherously from behind)” told by an effeminate friend in the Pilipino.

I disagreed. I told him that these gangs should not underestimate Manoling. He has the sly and capability to counter attack each members of these gangs from behind.

“Patalikod ding umatake si Manoling kaya sila ang mag-  ingat  (They should not sleep anymore, they should watch how Manoling attack also from behind),” I told my friend, too.

***

Among the six congressional districts in Pangasinan, the third congressional district under Rep. Rachel Arenas is the favorite topic lately among political kibitzers.

Because the dominion of Arenas there is not as impregnable as the fourth and fifth congressional districts under two women solons represented by Gina de Venecia and Kimi Cojuangco.

Speculations permeate the air that Arenas will be challenged by the son and namesake of Governor Amado T. Espino and business tycoon Cesar Quimbao.

Bautista Mayor Pogi Espino’s status however has issues because he hails from the 5th congressional district.

“Thus he should transfer his residence in Bayambang one year before the 2013 congressional poll and register there as a voter,” my sidekick Procopio Matulis quipped after four rounds of Red Horse beer.

But that is easier said than done. Arenas will surely question at the Commission on Election or at the court the residential qualification of Espino.

 As what they say in the vernacular “palipad pa lang supalpal na!”

If the young Espino wants to end the two-time winning streak of Arenas, he should not just transfer his residence in Bayambang, Pangasinan (a town in  the 3rd District) but he should resign his post as mayor (his paternal uncle is the incumbent vice mayor of Bautista) so Arenas wont have no legal argument to his one year residence qualification and his being a registered voter in Bayambang (Bautista’s neighboring town).

***

A congressman told me that business tycoon Quimbao could be another dangerous challenger to Arenas’ last term as he is an original residence of Bayambang.

“But his problem is his P1.7 billion is frozen at the Land Transportation Office,” a former very high national official told me, over rounds of San Miguel Lights, after Quimbao’s Stradcom clashed with LTO in a legal tussle.

But some local pundits disagreed. They said Quimbao , who has just inaugurated one of the chains of his multi-million of pesos mammoth Royal Malls, is still moneyed and dangerous challenger like what Manny Pacquaio is to Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Quimbao also owns the mother computer server that connects all the offices in the country of the Land Registration Administration.

***

Some pundits opined that there are cracks on the armor of Arenas.

They said if she was a juggernaut in her first term because of the more than a billion pesos projects she interceded with her former patron then President Arroyo, she is vulnerable in her third term try as she is only limited to her P70 million annual Priority Development Assistance Fund and the miniscule millions of pesos she chalked from the present dispensation that is not fond of her.

“Besides, most of the mayors there are disillusioned with her,” a contractor of a congressman whispered to me.

Although the mayors are not the voters who are the real McCoy to determine who wins and who loses, still the Third District is like the Arab Spring countries Egypt, Libya, and Syria. Because of their fluidity you “ain’t” know who sits on the perch of power.

(You can read my selected intriguing but thought-provoking columns at http://mortzortigoza.blogspot.com. You can send comments too at totomortz@yahoo.com).