By Mortz C. Ortigoza
LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – Unlike a typical electoral rally, the stump here by a candidate was a treat to spectators.
Hot sumptuous arroz caldo (chicken rice porridge) in
cups and cold Zest-o mango and orange juice drinks meet them as they enter the area with
gyrating and stomping dancers that ride on the beats of the loud music
from a huge sound systems and gays cat walking in an imagined runway for models
and shouting with their lungs out their favored candidates to the amused crowd.
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Congressman and Lingayen mayoral candidate Leopoldo Bataoil, a former
three-star police general, is flanked by OFW Family Partylist second nominee Roy M.Seรฑeres, Jr. (extreme left) and Lingayen Vice Mayor Teng Tapia who is running
for a seat in the town's legislative council under the slate of Bataoil. Photo was taken
before the start of the stump recently of the solon at Barangay Domalandan, capital
town Lingayen in Pangasinan. Because of the popularity of Bataoil various party
list groups like Tinderong Pinoy, 1 Pacman and others piggyback on him.
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This hoopla that started at seven o’clock in the
evening was part of the mayoral bid in this capital town of exiting congressman
Leopoldo Bataoil.
When asked if he served hot arroz caldo when he
courted the votes of his constituents in his almost nine years stint as
representative in the eight towns' 2nd Congressional District, his loud retort to this writer amidst the earsplitting music emanating from
the two giant sound systems nearby:
“Dito lang, dito lang
ha ha ha pa arroz caldo ko! Walang ganoon sa congressional!”
Bataoil is challenging the perennial dominion of
Mayor Josefina “Iday” Castaneda in a post governed by her and her late husband
Jonas for more than two decades.
Although he needs to win the alliances of the 32
village chiefs compared to the herculean jobs of winning the hearts and minds
of the eight town mayors, the 231 barangays chairmen, and the more than 300,000 voters in the congressional district,
the former three-star police general said he has still to network with other
leaders since most of the village chiefs here are allied with the lady mayor.
HOT arroz
caldo (chicken rice porridge) and cold tetra pack drinks flow freely for the
crowd to consume in the rally of exiting congressman and mayoral bet Pol
Bataoil.
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“Dito ngayon
you have to deal at your own. I deal with 32 barangays. Kung hindi mo kakampi
iyong barangay captain although they are supposed to be apolitical you will
know their inclination. So kung hindi mo kakampi, you have to look for somebody
else to help you”.
He cited that 20 of the village chiefs are backing
Castaneda, a two term mayor, while he got the loyalty of the 12 barangay
chairmen.
“So that is an
advantage sa kanila. But I don’t see it as a disadvantage to me because there are so many people na other than those barangay captains who manifested their
strong support and many of them are leaders. Kaya we are going to go to the
grassroots”.
The courteous solon has an answer when asked how he
would deal with the vaunted popularity of the Castanedas.
Is the ghost of Jonas, an excellent singing chain smoking Lothario,
still carry weight on the vast number of voters in the barrio because they ride
on the man's probable maxim: Inanakan, Ina-Anak, at Anak Anakan (Impregnated, God
Children, Adopted Children) purportedly in every of the villages here? Posed to Bataoil by another media man.
“That’s one factor na talagang bini break
through ko. Kasi Filipino culture iyan e. Na intindihan ko so sometime merong
utang na loob culture. But we have many ways and means how to break through.
Nag aral naman ako ng principles ng Art of War by Sun Tzu ha ha ha we know how to
deal with those kinds of situation”.
He said
that his house-to-house visit in every village that he did before the start of
his rally bears fruits.
“Very upbeat ang aming campaign operation dito
sa Lingayen, 32 barangays suddenly they accept us very positively there is wide
acceptance dito. We tend to finish the meeting de abanse 32 barangay in a
45 - day period. Although sometime nagkakaroon kami ng dalawang barangays sa
isang araw. But before that ang ginagawa namin meron kaming house to house
operation ng bayan. Ang inaasam ng line up ko ang Lingkod ng
Bayan ang gagaling nila we were able to reach out. So many people even the
silent majority na tinatanong Lingkod ng Bayan Team”.
Well paid dancers strut their stuffs. |
He said
people in this town wanted transformation. They wanted that the municipality
should have outgrown other municipalities in the province because it is the
capital town.
“There is a ground swell for change for
positive change. Ayaw nila kung ano ano ang dumating sa bayan ng Lingayen. “Okay
– okay” hindi puwedi sa kanila iyong. Gusto nila ang Lingayen should be top of
the rest by being the capital town ito. Ayaw nila ng whatever comes up. “Okay
na lang” hindi puwede sa akin iyon e. Lingayen has the ideal as role model all
over Pangasinan”.
On his commissioning of gays who entertained the crowd ensued
because of his being friendly with the third sex.
“Si Congresswoman Roman na vice chairman ko sa
Committee on Veterans (Affairs & Welfare) iyong advocacy niya na adopt ko
yearly. I’m presenting to the people that we don’t discriminate. We respect people
of all sectors that’s why you see that”.
Representative Geraldine Roman (1st District, Bulacan) was the first Filipino transgender who won a seat in the House of Representatives.
Representative Geraldine Roman (1st District, Bulacan) was the first Filipino transgender who won a seat in the House of Representatives.
Unlike in
other towns that mayoral bets are barred by the village chiefs allied with the
incumbent mayors to use the covered court, Bataoil became pugnacious when he
told this writer that the chief in Barangay Domalandan here could not deprive
him to use the edifice because he interceded for its construction from the national coffer.
“Hindi puwede sa akin iyan. Kakasuhan ko ang
kapitan. Dadalhin ko sa Ombudsman,” He said in reference to the chairman
who is allied with Castaneda.
A member
of the LGBT or Lesbian,
Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender shows his support to the candidates.
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With a
billion pesos a year infrastructure and tourism projects the solon lobbied from
the national government, Bataoil has adorned the town proper and the
villages with multi-million pesos buildings like gymnasiums, tourism center’s Esplanade
Al-Fresco, 15 – kilometer Lingayen-Binmaley Bypass Road Project, 13- kilometer
Bay Walk with boardwalks, 200 meters long, proposed light craft ferry
terminal, almost PhP70 million restoration of the breathtaking Spanish era vintage Royal
House’s Casa Real that dwarfed the municipal hall nearby, and countless others.
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ReplyDeleteSilvestre A Rayos Jr. : Will Lingayen welcome change and progress or value deep rooted political connections ?? The swing of the pendulum depends on the generous hands of little mayor, watch for rude awakening if you cannot counter his mischief, my word of caution, hope for the best and prepare for the worst, wild cark Joker c Little Mayor, he knows all the tricks.
Alice Bataoil Alcon: Mortz I’m positive that the people of Lingayen will understand the meaning of Change and progress, now they see some changes in our very own town pero ‘ patikim pa lang yan , how much more if our Congressman will be lucky and blessed enough to lead the capital town of Pangasinan, for sure his dream for Pangasinan will soon realized with the utmost cooperation of citizens in this town.
Silvestre A Rayos Jr.: Golden opportunity na eto para umunlad ang Lingayen, napagiwanan na ang mahal kong bayan, like the Pied piper of Hamelin, Mayor Leopoldo Bataoil will lead us to a better town, better opportunity and better services,bumalik na ang ama ng bayan, salubungin natin ng masigabong palakpakan