Boring Governorship and Cong’l Races

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

If the information given to me the other day by Deep Throat – 2, my spook to some provincial politicians, has any tinge of truth then we’ll have a ho-hum gubernatorial and congressional elections in Pangasinan and the Fifth Congressional District.

Before I delve into my op-ed article, my bug Deep Throat -2, who once in a while sends me four to to eight paragraphs infos from the repositioning of the mayorship to the congressional players in Pangasinan, is not the 1972 porn film casting the sultry Linda Boreman as Linda Lovelace and sore FBI Deputy William Mark Felt Sr. of the Watergate Scandal feedings incriminating information to those Washington Post's correspondents. He is not even Deep Throat -1, that stunner executive who got the goat of a Congresswoman after my tactless radio partner exposed the blind item in the mid air, son of a gun!

MARQUEE PLAYERS of Pangasinan politics. L – to – R clockwise: Seasoned politician former Pangasinan Congressman and ex-Governor Amado T. Espino, Jr.; Pangasinan Governor Amado Espino, III; Fifth District Congressman Ramon “Mon-Mon” Guico, III; and former Fifth District Rep. Mark Cojuangco.

Here’s Deep Throat -2: 

“Ayon sa source ko, nag usap usap na raw mga Guico, Cojuangco, at Espino. Hindi na raw kakalabanin si Pogi sa governorship and in exchange, the Guico will keep the congressional seat and mayorship plus the xxxxxxxx”.

Quid pro quo, eh?

You wonder why former Congressman Mark Cojuangco was mentioned by my snoop? Because after I posted my viral blog – as based on the stats of Facebook -  titled:Mogul’s Son to Challenge Espino’s 2nd Cong. Seat? in April 15 this year, many told me in Messenger, telephone calls, and e-mails that the son of that scion who got multi millions if not billion of pesos inheritance from his deceased magnate’s father is Mark C.

A media man even posted a photo at the social media's FB of a Western Pangasinan Mayor confirming to him that scion Mark has moist eye to the Second District under the present helm of Congressman Jumel Espino – the son of seasoned battle scarred former Governor Amado T. Espino, Jr, (PMA Class of 1972) and the sibling of the incumbent Governor Pogi Espino.

If the parley between the camps of the Espinos and Guico-Cojuangco was authentic, then both groups save hundreds of millions of pesos in a post that gives only susmariosep a measly more or less three hundred thousand pesos (Salary Grades 31 (₱295,191 monthly) and 30 ( ₱196,206 monthly) for a Solon and a Guv, respectively, in a three years term.

This No-Opponent Scenario was not new since it was mentioned to me by veteran DWIZ FM Radio Commentator Ruel "Mapalakapak" Camba in my birthday celebration last February 21. Aksiyon Radyo Broadcaster Ike Palinar was there listening too to Ka Ruel's prescience.

Mr. Camba, former provincial government's Chief Information Officer I called then Joseph Goebbels, analysis was anchored to Malacanang’s strategy to launch Davao City Sara Duterte for the presidential derby in May 2022.

He said that because of the huge voters of the gargantuan province, President Rodrigo Duterte and his whiz kids will see that the opposing forces in the land of Warrior Princess Urduja should smoke the piece pipe and not to prejudice the presidential daughter chances for her occupancy of that Spanish era Palace by the Pasig River. Of course I will add President Duterte’s insurance that Malacanang will not get a critical president in Grace Poe or Panfilo Lacson – probably with the United States support just like Col. Edward Lansdale to presidential candidate Ramon Magsaysay - and throw the book to the old man and his factotums like Bato dela Rosa and those cops on their criminal liabilities on Tokhang or War on Drugs that saw thousands of Flips, er, Filipino dopers and pushers murdered.

***

Before Deep Throat -2 gave me the above information that could disrupt some political repositionings, a contractor in the Fifth and Sixth Congressional District told me after he read's Mogul’s Son to Challenge Espino’s 2nd Cong. Seat?

He said the Camp of Espino and former PAGCOR Chairman Cristino L. Naguiat, Jr. in the Fifth District has been persuading Urdaneta City Mayor Julio “Rami” Parayno III (Lakas Christian Muslim Democrats) to betray Guico and support Naguiat against the Congressman in the May 9, 2022 election.

The duo can dangled something that Parayno could hardly resist: They will not goad somebody like former Mayor Amadeo Gregorio "Bobom" E. Perez, IV , Naguiat’s wife Maria Teresa Soccoro Perez (PDP-Lakas Ng Bayan) – Bobom’s sister whom Parayno beat by 8,635 from the 68,755 voters last 2019 election -. or somebody to challenge Rami and his pocket in the 87, 916 rich votes (2018 Comelec) eastern Pangasinan city.

The acid test? Will Parayno capitulate thus saving for himself say more or less one hundred million pesos in election expenses versus a mayoralty opponent than supporting Guico?

Does Guico hard to dump in favor of former 5^th District Congressman Espino? Did Parayno benefit personally to his three year’s alliance with Guico?

Those were my posers that played on my malikot na utak before Deep Throat told me there will be no electoral derby in the district and the province because the two camps have the meeting of minds already.

How Simon pure they were will remain to be seen after those players filed their candidacy late this year.

READ MY OTHER BLOG:

How Suicide Bombers, Muslim Radicals Operate

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