Abono Aims 2 Seats on May Poll

 NOT THREATENED BY RIVAL’S API

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

ROSALES, Pangasinan – The chairman of the Abono Party List (APL) is not threatened its victory will be prejudiced by a rival party list group in Pangasinan but instead aims to win two congressional seats.

APL Chair Rosendo So said that agricultural groups in and out of the humongous province and the nationally renowned Samahang Industriya at Agrikultura (SINAG) support the party list quests for another win in the May 9, 2022 national election.

PATRONS. Eng. Rosendo (left, photo) and former Pangasinan Governor Amado T. Espino, Jr. (holding a microphone) have been the patrons of Abono Party List and Abante Pangasinan Ilokano (API) Party List – the mammoth province homegrown parties – that are now jostling and shoving for the two million voters of Pangasinan. So and Espino used to be political allies but had a fall out in the middle of  the year 2000s when the then governor increased the real property taxes of the local government units that upset So and his constituents the farmers. The conflict worsen when the Abono Party Chairman and former Pangasinan Fifth District Rep. Mark Cojuangco  - another former Espino’s supporter – joined forces for Cojuangco’s bid for the governorship in 2016 against Espino’s son and namesake the present governor.

“Ya. We are hoping kasi ngayon naka concentrate tayo sa kampanya and of course iyong agri groups naman sumusuporta dito. Ang grupo ng SINAG sususporta sa Abono Party”.

Abono first victory was in the 2007 election when it won one seat through Rep. Robert Raymund Estrella.

It performed better in the 2010, 2013, and 2016 polls when it won two congressional seats in the House of Representatives.

So said the second nominee for this year’s election would no longer be from the illustrious political family of the Ortegas in La Union Province but his nephew Ronald Alan So.

The chairman said that La Union Governor Francisco Emmanuel “Pacoy” R. Ortega III – a former congressman of Abono – is enmeshed in the politics of the northern province. He is bowing out from the governorship to run for the mayorship of San Fernando City, La Union while his eldest daughter guns in the gubernatorial seat.

“Iyong  anak niya uupong governor. Panganay na anak na babae”.

So is not alarmed by Pangasinan Governor Amado Espino, III and his father and namesake the former governor who campaign vigorously for the election in the House of Representatives of API Party.

API nominees from first to the fifth are Michael M. Morden, Maricel B. Gotuc, Antonio P. Perez, Glaiza Mae M. Onia, and Enrico Y. Siahon while Abono’s nominees from first to fifth are former Congressman Robert Raymund “Eskimo” Estrella, Ronald Alan So, Lenny Torres, Oftociano "Anong" Manalo, and the one from the Visaya region.

The Party List System Act mandates that the parties, organizations, and coalitions receiving at least two percent (2%) of the total votes cast for the party-list system shall be entitled to one seat each:  provided, that those garnering more than two percent (2%) of the votes shall be entitled to additional seats in proportion to their total number of votes: provided, finally, that each party, organization, or coalition shall be entitled to not more than three (3) seats.

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