By Mortz C. Ortigoza
URDANETA CITY – “Because I am the city chairman of Hugpong ng
Pagbabago,” declared by this city mayor when asked why the national
coalition of senatorial candidates headed by Hugpong ng Pagbabago Chairperson
and presidential daughter Sarah Duterte-Carpio came recently here.
Mayor Amadeo Gregorio "Bobom" E. Perez IV, Pangasinan Governor Amado
I. Espino, III, his father and namesake the Pangasinan Fifth District Congressman joined
at welcoming the coalition known in English as Faction of Change at its hustings
last February 14 here instead of the camp of gubernatorial bet Art Celeste and
congressional candidate Ramon V. Guico III who should be electoral allies in
Pangasinan of Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP).
Celeste, his vice
gubernatorial tandem Mark Lambino, and Binalonan Mayor Guico and thousands of
their supporters in Binalonan waited in vain for the HNP that bypassed
them.
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NEW ALLIES - Pangasinan
Governor Amado I. Espino, III shakes the hand of presidential daughter Sarah
Duterte-Carpio at the Urdaneta City Cultural & Sports Center when she leads
the campaign caravan of the senatorial slate of the coalition's Hugpong ng
Pagbabago. From left and partly hidden is Urdaneta City Mayor Amadeo Gregorio “Bobom”
E. Perez IV , Senator Sonny Angara, Duterte-Carpio, Governor Espino, former presidential
political adviser Francis Tolentino, and Pangasinan Fifth District
Congressman Amado T. Espino, Jr. (Photo Credit: Province of Pangasinan)
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The last mayoral term Perez
downplayed the perception that he and the Espinos had propaganda coup at the
expense of their rivals because Hugpong should be with the Celeste and Guico camp
since the coalition was allied with them
instead of the Espinos who are allied with the PDP-Laban.
The rally was held at
the Cultural and Sports Center here with Perez and the Espinos who where all
smiles at the cameras when they posed with Davao City Mayor Duterte-Carpio and senatorial
candidates like Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos, former senator Jinggoy
Estrada, former presidential political adviser Francis Tolentino, former
senator Bong Revilla, Senator Sonny Angara, and others.
“Those were five megawatts smile after they outsmarted
their rivals who should have hosted the presidential daughter and the
coaltion,” a
political pundit at the social media quipped.
Hugpong is composed of
13 senatorial candidates that came from PDP-Laban, Nacionalista Party, Lakas
CMD, Puersa ng Masang Pilipino, Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino, and
Independent.
“The Hugpong will be coming here and stay at the Cultural
Center from 8 a.m to 12 pm. All of their slate except Bong Go will be coming that will
be led by Sarah Duterte,”
this city’s local government administrator Ronald San Juan told this writer a
day before the coalition visit here.
A source, who asked
anonymity, said the Presidential
Security Group advice Davao City Mayor Sarah Duterte that the coalition forego
the Binalonan whistle stop because one of the PSG members, who should be
coordinating the Hugpong ng Pagbabago visit in the town, was allegedly chided by a
high official there.
Many supporters of the
Espinos in and out of the media industry feasted on the propaganda coup dealt
by the Espino-Perez camp to the Celeste-Guico group.
But pro Celeste writer
and bloc timer Virgilio Maganes pooh-poohed on his column at Northern Watch the maneuvering of the Espino-Perez camp.
“The city government was the sponsor and not the provincial
government, as claimed by the political supporters of the rival camp of
Alaminos City Mayor Arthur Celeste. The governor and the 5th District
congressman were there being the allies of the Perezes and to give due respect
to their incumbent positions. What made the campaign caravan more exciting was
the non-endorsement of local candidates by Carpio. She concentrated her message
of endorsing her 13 senatorial candidates. However, she personally endorsed Tet
Perez-Naguiat as city mayor and Bobom as vice mayor claiming that the two are
her personal friends,” an
excerpt of his column’s Eavesdropper posted at the internet last February 18.
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