It’s Final, Art for Guv – Kin

Art is Primus Inter Pares Among Mark, Conrad

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

ALAMINOS CITY – A relative of a gubernatorial bet debunked the rumor that the three probable candidates against incumbent Pangasinan Governor Amado I. Espino, III have not yet finalized their front runner.

“No, it’s already final. It’s Art for governor,” a kin of this city's mayor Art Celeste told recently this paper in a telephone conversation.

The probable bets are Celeste, Abono Party List Representative Conrad Estrella, and former Fifth District Congressman Mark Cojuangco.

PRIMUS INTER PARES - Alaminos City Mayor Art Celeste (left) is the first among equals with Abono Party List Representative Conrad Estrella and former Fifth District Congressman Mark Cojuangco (above and below, right column) on the triumvirate in Pangasinan to defeat the dominion of Governor Amado I. Espino, III and his father Congressman Amado Espino, Jr. in the politics of the gargantuan province. 

This paper inquired to the relative, who asked anonymity, when one of the reporters who attended recently the birthday party of Rep. Estrella held in Rosales town said that former Congressman Cojuangco told them that there was no official bet yet of the group for the top public executive post in the forty four towns and three cities’ Pangasinan in the next year’s election.

He said that the triumvirate of Cojuangco, Celeste, and Estrella has to finalize among themselves the front runner to challenge Governor Espino III.

Cojuangco ran but failed to grab the top post of the Capitol nestled in Lingayen town in the May 9, 2016 poll when Espino, the heir apparent of his predecessor and father with the same namesake, beat him by 223,012 in an election that showed the present governor got total votes of 736,909 while the former solon settled for 513,897 votes only.

All mayors in the ten towns' Sixth District and its congressional representative Marlyn Primicias-Agabas attended the natal day celebration of Estrella.

Another reliable source privy on the politics in Western Pangasinan told this paper that Congresswoman Agabas was the anointed tandem of Celeste for the vice governorship.

“It’s final. She was one of the major conditions asked by the mayor when he was requested to challenge Governor Espino. Without Agabas on the ticket he will not aspire for the governorship,’ he cited.

The kin of Celeste, a politician, exhorted their media supporters to just promote the gubernatorial bet in a positive note.

“Let’s avoid destructive campaigns against the camp of Espino during the march for the (May 13, 2019) election,” he cited.

The 2016 governorship election became nasty and acrimonious when several pro-Cojuangco radio reporters were sued with multiple libel cases by then outgoing governor and present Fifth District Representative Amado T. Espino, Jr.

One of them, a female commentator, was convicted by the Regional Trial Court in San Carlos City and still appealing the cases to the higher court while the three male broadcasters are still facing expensive and psychologically exacting litigation at the criminal courts in San Carlos City and capital town Lingayen.