Fernandez versus de Venecia for Congress

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

The filing of the certificates of candidacy (COC) of the four challengers of House Representative Christopher “Toff” de Venecia for the next year’s election in the Pangasinan’s 4^th Congressional District drew mix reactions from the public.

CONGRESS - Former Dagupan City Vice Mayor Alvin Fernandez (left) challenges reelectionist Congressman Christopher de Venecia in the one city four towns’ district in Pangasinan. Both are scions of two illustrious political families of the vote rich city.

After former Dagupan City Mayor Alvin Fernandez, a lawyer, Teodoro Wilhelm “Winky” Manaois, a descendant of a political family, Dagupan City Councilor Redford Mejia, and De Venecia’s relative Larry Gryson de Venecia filed their COCs, the congressman’s cousin Solo de Venecia had his guns ablazing by mercilessly riddling the wannabees at Facebook.

“Wonky, Red, and Alvin. No sabong iyan, sahod lang. Nuisances lang, sahod lang kung tag ulan”

“Pustahan tayo Mortz, aatras iyang tatlong iyan”

“Puro Dog Dog (Asu-aso in the vernacular – MCO) Lang mga iyan”

But other political commentators saw the entries of some of the four in the hustings as threat to the young solon, whose present post he inherited from his father former five-time Speaker Joe and mother two-term congresswoman Manay Gina.

One of them said that many voters will be deceived at the lenthy and time consuming ballot where they would shade the box after the surname “De Venecia” without knowing that  it is of Gryson and not Christopher since both of them follow each other in the alphabetical order of the surnames of the ballot where the unwitting voters select a myriad of names that begin from the Houses of Senate and House, dozens if not hundred of party lists, governorship bets and their tickets for the provincial board, aspirants for the mayorship, vice mayorship, and to the dozens for the sangguniang bayan or panlungsod (town and city councils).

“The de Venecias could not invoke the Equity of the Incumbent when a voter wrote the surname of the candidate without his first name. That was in the old manual counting. We are in the electronic age where the one shaded goes to the first name of that surname,” a prominent radio commentator cited.

He continued that with the entry of Gryson, a rabid supporter and party mate of Dagupan City Vice Mayor Brian Lim (Nationalista Party), a mayoralty bet too, former Vice Mayor Fernandez would benefit where he gnawed the vote rich Dagupan City despite being wallopped by the de Venecia’s juggernaut in the four towns Mangaldan, San Fabian, San Jacinto, and Manaoag.

“It’s reminiscent of Dr. Tessie de Venecia versus Dagupan Mayor Benjie Lim for congress. Lim lost the four towns but won in Dagupan. Lim became congressman,” he cited.

Other political kibitzers said that Alvin can piggyback to the governorship run of reelective Pangasinan governor Amado I. Espino, III or his rival Alaminos City Mayor Art Celeste in the four towns of the district.

In the 2016 governorship race, outgoing governor Amado Espino, Jr. and his son then gubernatorial bet Amado III defeated governorship candidate Mark Cojuangco in these towns. Cojuangco was backed up by the de Venecias in that race.

Before the eyes of the many, the loyalty of the voters in the district is dichotomized between the two families. Most of the mayors there are loyalist of the Espinos and not the de Venecias.

One of these sources however told me that the de Venecias and Espinos had made an alliance for the May 13, 2019 poll. This alliance could be validated as we trudge to the D-Day in middle of next year.

Here’s my interview with congressional aspirant Alvin Fernandez in the afternoon of the last day of the filing of the COC.

MORTZ C. ORTIGOZA (MCO):  Why are you running for congress?

ALVIN D. FERNANDEZ (ADF): First of all we are running for the 4^th District of Pangasinan and that of Mangaldan, San Fabian, Manaoag, and San Jacinto. The opportunity to choose among the better candidates that shall serve the people of the 4^th District representing such people sa kongreso po ay ang ating minamahal na Pilipinas. And I believed that whoever win shall be winning based on a program, project, activities, and issues that shall be for the benefit of the 4^th District of Pangasinan.

MCO: Would your COC result to a rift between you and the de Venecias?

ADF: This is not in anyway a personality based… it is not a competition actually. It is simply giving the people of the 4^th District an opportunity to choose who the candidates they would votes. I do believed if the incumbent congressman is given this opportunity right now to indeed show the people of the 4^th District of Pangasinan the way that he should be loved and supported by the people on how he shall be answering on how he should be representing the different programs, plans, and the activities he has on the 4^th District of Pangasinan.

MCO: Your late father was a closed ally of the de Venecias, did they send feelers, talk, or call you?

ADF: This particular decision was a decision that was made only last night and probably this morning. Iyong sinasabi na merong away, meron pong paghihiwalay. Ito nga po ang big opportunity na binibigay natin sa ating kandidato lalabanan na po sa mga incumbent ngayon na kung saan, it’s time for them to really show the people during election period that they shall be seeking the people votes and loved. And if ever other candidates my have the opportunity to also show their programs, projects, activities, and advocacy that they would want for the 4^th District then it shall be to the voters. So the program of the candidate is simply to heighten the level. Itaas po ang antas ng pangangampanya kung saan the purpose only is it show the opportunities to prove. Show the program and activities, proposal, and legislation. E ganito na lang po, it shall not, anyway, iyong traditional politics is going around at kung meron pa pong mga binibigay na pagmamahal o binibigay na ibang bagay it shall not much politics.

MCO: Ano ang party ninyo?

ADF: Independent

RADIO COMMENTATOR ORLY NAVARRO: Was that your decision or your family’s decision?

ADF: It’s my decision and actually my decision was not known to my family. Last night pinag-isipan ko po ng matindi kasi nga I did not even know may mga iba na pa lang nag file. Akala ko ako lang.

MCO: Sino ang mga nag file?

ADF: Sila Red and Winky.

MCO: (Laughed). Ally kayo kay Brian Lim?

ADF: Such alliance when it comes to particular tayo po ay independent. As the days and weeks unfold, dito po makikita ang political development.

READ MY OTHER ARTICLE:

Politicians Wish Illegal Number Game Jueteng Around

(You can read my selected columns at mortzortigoza.blogspot.com and articles at Pangasinan News Aro. You can send comments too at totomortz@yahoo.com)