By Mortz C. Ortigoza
The title of this article should be: “Can Quiambao, Guico, Celeste, and Cojuangco beat the Espinos?” But brevity dictates in crafting a headline that I have to contend with the eight words above. This collaboration is about Bayambang Billionaire Mayor Cezar Quiambao – the bête noire of the Espinos' political patriarch former Pangasinan Fifth District Congressman Amado T. Espino, Jr. - the district’s present Representative Ramon “Monmon” Guico, III (the guy who beat Espino), Pangasinan First District former Representative and come backing congressional bet Art Celeste, and former Pangasinan Fifth District Rep. Mark Cojuangco.
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“Saan ka ngayon, To’? (Where are you now, To’?), “bronze skinned Marlboro ciggie chomping radio announcer and newspaper reporter Atong Remogat - this columnist affectionately called media heartthrob - authoritatively inquired in the phone. It was around 10 o’clock in the morning and the last day (October 8 ) of the deadline of the filing of the certificate of candidacy (CoC).
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| BARNSTORMING THRU CHOPPERS. One of the two helicopters used by Pangasinan governorship bet Ramon "Monmon" Guico, III and billionaire Bayambang Mayor Cezar T. Quiambao in their quest to beat the political juggernaut family of seasoned politician Amado T. Espino, Jr. Guico is the sitting Congressman of the Fifth District who beat with a slim margin Espino in their congressional tussle. The smaller helicopter used by Guico is the P40 million Robinson 44 while the four blades bigger chopper is the modern Bell helicopter worth P200 million bought in cash by Quiambao. Former Congressman Mark Cojuangco - who is pitted with Pangasinan Second District Rep. Jumel Espino - used a Robinson 44 helicopter, too. |
“Pabalik na ako sa Dagupan City (I’m bound to Dagupan City),” I told him while I was driving 80 kilometres per hour in the stretches of Barangay Manat, Binmaley town to the boundary of the Bangus City to catch the congressional and provincial candidates who were filing at the Commission on Election their CoC in the last day – whose date ‘8’ had significant signs of luck.
We met in the car park of Sigay Fiestahan in Binmaley where he left his tiny black Toyota car that lifted another bulky veteran radio commentators Harold Barcelona and Sammy Lusalla of DWPR and Erning Cayabyab of a Manila based tabloid. They embarked on my bigger car and we dusted off to Bugallon town.
“Mark Cojuangco, Monmon (Guico), Cezar Quiambao, Art (Celeste) are in their helicopters going to Bugallon to accompany Ric ( Orduña ) to file his CoC. We are going to cover it,” Atong, who now drove my car, told me.
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| One of the two helicopters used by Pangasinan governorship bet Ramon "Monmon" Guico, III and billionaire Bayambang Mayor Cezar T. Quiambao in their quest to beat the political juggernaut family of seasoned politician Amado T. Espino, Jr. Guico is the sitting Congressman of the Fifth District who beat with a slim margin Espino in their congressional tussle. The smaller helicopter used by Guico is the P40 million Robinson 44 while the four blades bigger chopper is the modern Bell helicopter worth P200 million bought in cash by Quiambao. Former Congressman Mark Cojuangco who is pitted with Pangasinan Second District Rep. Jumel Espino used a Robinson 44 helicopter, too. |
“Mayor Cezar even asked me to ride in his chopper (a huge four or five blades utility P400 million latest modern Bell helicopter Quiambao bought cash as what Congressman Guico told me) with Mark Cojuangco but I could not leave these three old men,” he referred to the three reporters.
“Mabuti di ka sumakay sa helicopter nila. Baka ihulog ka nila wala na akong heartthrob na media man na kaibigan,” I jested while the crowd – the “geriatrics” who still quest to be famous in the elusive perch of the media profession - in my car erupted into guffaw.
To make the long story short, here what ensued between the race of the two helicopters and my car:
- The two helicopters (it should be three as Cojuangco and Guico used to have their own P40 million each Robinson 44 choppers while Quiambao used the bigger Bell Helicopter) were faster than our car thus we did not see the filing of the CoC of former Mayor Ric – cheered up by the Opposition lead by governorship bet Guico – against incumbent Mayora Priscilla Espino.
Espino is the mother of Governor Amado Espino, III and wife of former Guv and Congressman Amado Jr.;
- The choppers flew to Urbiztondo where the opposition bigwigs would witness reelective mayor Martin Raul Sison filed his CoC. He is the son of ole man Espino’s former man Friday turned bitter nemesis former Board Member and congressional candidate Raul Sison;
- Atong, a bossom friend of Orduña, brought us instead to his farm residence in Barangay Portix. “To’, that kubo there was where Governor Espines (the patriarch’s moniker) and Mayor Ric and Colonel Pat (Orduna) mapped up how to win the governorship of Pangasinan,” Atong – a former scarred 6-ton 6×6military truck driver Army man calling me by my Ilonggo nickname Toto (not Mortz but I relished it hahaha!) and pointed to me the historical shack where the friendship of the political family Orduñas and Espino ( a PMYer and former Congressman) have been further buttressed until its ugly fall out where the two brothers (Ric and Espino’s protegee Police Lt. Colonel Pat) have been seen with the Opposition (first with Art Celeste failed attempt to trounce out Governor Amado, III in the 2019 election) and their support to Guico’s present attempts to frustrate the young Espino’s last term in the May 9, 2022 election.
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| Mayor Quiambao and his young beauteous actress- wife Mary Clare Phyllis “Niña” Jose-Quiambao |
- Ric Orduna told us despite his inferior campaign kitty against the political juggernaut of the Espinos, Mayora had a led votes of 3,964 only among the 31, 458 voters in the 2019 election.
- He said Celeste wanted to kneel before him to reconsider his retirement and dethrone the Espino in Bugallon where he used to be a nine years hizzoner. “Pag di ka tumakbo dito baka matabangan na si Mark sa laban niya kay Jumel (Congressman Espino – younger brother of the Guv) at si Monmon sa governorship,”Ordona told us how he was emphatically persuaded by Art to wear again his political gloves.
- With the financial backing of Cojuangco and the billionaire Quiambao (a high school classmate of the patriarch Espino who became his enemy), does it mean Mayora Espino is beatable?;
- With the gung-ho involvement of Quiambao and his generosity to finance the campaign of Guico versus Governor Espino, does it mean a chance to beat the Guv as Guico and Quiambao collaborate to end the choo-choo train of the Espinos in Pangasinan politics?
Here’s how moneyed Quiambao when I covered him recently on his young actress wife Nina Jose throwing her hat for the mayorship of burgeoning Bayambang town. Excerpts of what he said in the air conditioned town's gym: “The mayor told his supporters that he will be joining the private sector again and ventures in a $1 billion or P50 billion investment for a power plant in Benguet Province. He said that he needs to continue remitting hundreds of millions of pesos for the town especially his P5 billion bamboo project that could generate more jobs for the people here. Mahigit limang bilyon (pesos) ang kailangang kapital para matapos ang aking panaginip sa programa ng kawayan". One of the gargantuan projects that came from the private fund of the billionaire-mayor is the colossal St. Vincent Ferrer Statue. The P250 million statue was recognized by the Guinness World Records as the tallest bamboo sculpture in the world.
- Here what Quiambao told the crowd during Art Celeste quest but poorly financed bid (My source told me a miniscule P250 million only) for the governorship: "When Amado T. Espino, Jr. ran for congressman in the Second District of Pangasinan I lent him a chopper. I gave him financial support. Pero wala iyon: The most significant thing was when I introduced him to Atong Ang".
- Dr. Quiambao, a recipient of an honoris causa, and his family owned Stradom, Land Registration Systems, Inc. and others.These corporations gave hundreds of millions of pesos local taxes to the 129, 011 populated historical town.
The generosity of Quiambo bloodied the noses of the bets of his classmate Espino whenever they challenged his candidates and when Espino’s beneficiary former Ric Camacho challenged him in the 2019 mayorship poll.
- Because of Quiambao disliked to his classmate, I heard from political connections that he poured hundreds of millions of pesos to the campaign chest of Guico – a multi-millionaire but whose kitty will be divided as his father Monching will tussle for the Fifth District congressional post with a handsome moneyed former Board Member Nino Arboleda – a kasimanwa and Espino’s ally. I wrote before that a governorship candidate who wanted to beat the Espinos in the race to the Capitol in Lingayen needs a billion of pesos because the majority of the two million bobotantes or voters in Pangasinan know only one thing: Oodles of money” in the eve of the election.
My poser: Can Quiambo, Guico, and Cojuangco rais
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MORTZ C. ORTIGOZA
I am a twenty years seasoned Op-Ed Political Writer in various newspapers and Blogger exposing government corruptions, public officials's idiocy and hypocrisies, and analyzing local and international issues. I have a master’s degree in Public Administration and professional government eligibility. I taught for a decade Political Science and Economics in universities in Metro Manila and cities of Urdaneta, Pangasinan and Dagupan. Follow me on Twitter @totoMortz or email me at totomortz@yahoo.com.
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