‘Mayor Braganza should not Divert the Issue’ – PIO Velasco

Alaminos City Mayor Hernani Braganza should face squarely the plunder complaint filed against him by 15 incumbent and former barangay chiefs of Alaminos rather than hurling malicious accusations against Governor Amado T. Espino, Jr. This was stressed by Provincial Information Officer Butch Velasco in reaction to the press conference held Wednesday of Mayor Braganza who spent more time dragging the name of Governor Espino rather than answering the charges against him. Velasco said that obviously Braganza just wanted to divert the issue and provoked the governor to answer back. “But the governor is not taking the bait,” Velasco said. He said that after the mayor of Bugallon accused the governor of plunder more than a month ago, Governor Espino only spoke once with the media and he did it very briefly in a press conference at the conference hall of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management and Development Council last December 14. In his calculated silence, various local and national leaders took the cudgels in defending the governor as they vouched for his esteemed reputation and deep love for Pangasinan, Velasco said. The Governor also directed his lawyers to answer legal issues being raised by the people from the media community, he added. In contrast, Mayor Braganza has held several presscons to attack the governor, the last of which was when he answered the plunder case lodged against him by his own barangay chiefs, the provincial info chief said. “While Braganza keeps on spewing out derogatory remarks against the governor, the chief executive of the province continues to exert extra-efforts in serving the people of Pangasinan and to pursue the vision of the province as the best place to invest, work, live and raise a family,” Velasco said. According to Velasco, even when Governor Espino’s 90-year old mother, Victoria, suffered a massive stroke on December 31, he continues to work non-stop by day, and keeps close watch for with his mother in a hospital by night time. Her mother is still in half-comatose state to date, Velasco said. This week another black propaganda was circulated via text messages to the media that Governor Espino was already suspended. In an interview over a radio station, Velasco said that the governor received visitors at his office at the Capitol Building for his regular “callers” day last Monday (January 14). On Wednesday (January 16), he led the opening salvo of the “I Love Pangasinan campaign” caravan this year in four towns of the province’s fifth district. Velasco said that the governor is not hampered by the series of smear campaigns leveled against him as he is focused to steer the province to become number one. (PIO)