No Clash between Bataoil, Agabas for Vice Guv

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

DAGUPAN CITY – "What Marlyn for vice governorship?"

According to a provincial lawmaker, comes 2019 election the voters in Pangasinan will not be seeing a Marlyn Primicias-Agabas versus Leopoldo Bataoil vie for the vice governorship because the former will run as mayor of Tayug.

NO CLASH – Outgoing Pangasinan 2^nd District Congressman Leopoldo Bataoil (left)

 and Exiting Pangasinan 6^th Distritct Congresswoma Marlyn Primicias-Agabas.

The source, who asked anonymity, told Northern Watch that he talked with Agabas husband Tyrone and the latter told him that outgoing Congresswoman Agabas will throw her hat in the mayoralty of the town where the present mayor is her husband.

“No, it’s not true that Marlyn runs for the vice governorship. I talked with Tyrone and he told me they will swap position,” he recalled his conversation with former Board Member Agabas.

Before becoming a third term congresswoman, Agabas was a member of the Sangguniang  Panlalawigan (provincial board) and Vice Governor of Pangasinan.

When asked during the meeting of the Vice Mayors’ League of the Philippines – Pangasinan Chapter held at Jeck’s here, Vice Mayor Carlos Trece Mapili, a former mayor of Tayug, denied that there was a quid pro quo between him and the Agabases where he did not challenge Tyrone in the 2016 mayoralty poll with the condition the spouses would allow him to make a comeback for the mayoralty in 2019.

According to other sources, the two camps agreed that with Mapili gunning for the mayoralty, Marlyn runs for the vice governorship while Tyrone throws his hat for the congressional seat of the 10 towns’ District.

“I don’t know about it,” Mapili, a lawyer like the two Agabases, told this paper.

Political pundits said that without Agabas running for the No. 2 top post in Pangasinan, outgoing Second District Congressman Leopoldo Bataoil runs for the vice governorship without a rival.

“We cannot say he will be running alone. Mayors in the 4^th Congressional District are egging the District’s Board Member Jeremy Agerico Rosario to run for the post,” the solon said.

DARK HORSE? Mayors in the Fourth Congressional District goad
Board Member Ming Rosario to run for the vice governorship.

Another informant cited that Rosario told them that he waits for the imprimatur of Governor Amado I. Espino III if he will be in his tandem.
Rosario and Espino are closed allies.

 The almost two million vote-rich Pangasinan will be seeing a rematch  for the governorship between Governor Espino and former Congressman Mark Cojuangco in the 2019 election, according to a source closed to the latter.

Next Article Coming: Probable bets in the 4^th Congressional District