Mayor Castaneda: Nolan Evangelista was the toughest rival

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

LINGAYEN - It is not Vice Mayor Nepthalie  Pasiliao, Vice Mayor  Editha Hallare, and others that threatened the reelective lady mayor in this capital town of Pangasinan.

Lingayen Mayor Josefina "Iday" Castaneda

Mayor Josefina”Iday” Castaneda disclosed that the toughest mayoralty opponent her family encountered was former mayor Nolan Evangelista and not the present crops of challengers for her mayoralty post.
She said that in the first encounter of her husband then mayor Jonas Castaneda and former mayor Evangelista the former led the latter with a thousand votes.
“In the rematch, Mayor Castaneda led by only 500 votes,” a certain Adiong, the private contractor of the mayor, butted in.

Then Mayor Jonas Castaneda used to be the vice mayor of Mayor Evangelista. Castaneda succumbed to a heart attack in March 2013. He was succeeded by Vice Mayor Hallare who tangled with Castaneda’s widow Iday but the latter dumped her with tens of thousands votes led in the 2013 election.
In the 2013 electoral race, the lady mayor dusted off too former Board Member Von Mark Mendoz with thousands of votes.
“Board Member Mendoza trailed by 8000 votes Mayor Iday while Vice Mayor Hallare settled with a measly 4000 votes,” Adiong added.
This town has more than 40 thousand voters.
The records of the Commission on Election said that Castaneda (Nationalist Party) got 22,928 votes while Mendoza (Nationalist People’s Coalition) and Hallare (Liberal Party) contented themselves with 9,272 and 9,130, respectively.

In the vice mayoralty Vice Mayor Nepthalie Pasiliao (NP) got 20,580 votes while Randall Bernal (NPC) and Jose Ferrer (LP) settled for  10,653 and 8,880 votes.
Mayor Castaneda said that despite four councillor allies at the legislative body, the five opposition councillors yielded to the wish of the public interest by approving the 2016 budget.
“Takot sila because nagagalit ang mga kapitan that should benefit on the 20 percent Development Fund in the budget”.
She said while the budget was being deliberated the village officials and media men were there to see how the opposition treat the budget.

In the May 9 mayoralty election, Castaneda is pitted with Vice Mayor Pasilao and former Pangasinan Police Director Senior Supt. Mariano Luis “Sonny” Verzosa – the son of the former mayor here.