DUSTED OFF RIVAL’S API
By Mortz C. Ortigoza
Abono Party List (APL) significantly leaped to No. 7 in the
latest survey of OCTAReasearch thus dusting off its homegrown rival Abante
Pangasinan Ilokano (API) that settled at No. 24.
With its ranking, APL is assured to have its two nominees
become a part of the 19th Congress upon assumption of office on June
30 this year.
There are 177 interest groups that are running in this year’s party lists’ 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 zealously ingratiating for the two million voters of Pangasinan. |
In the March 17 to 21, 2022 survey of Pulse Asia, Abono and
API have been closely competing with the votes of the Filipinos particularly in
colossal province of Pangasinan where they were founded.
APL and API got numbers 68 and 77, respectively, in the ranking there.
Below is the position – from highest to lowest - of the first
24 party lists based on the prestigious OCTAResearch.com:
1)
ACT CIS 13) 4Ps
2)
IWI 14) KALINGA
3)
SENIOR CITIZENS PARTYLIST 15) BUHAY
4)
ANG PROBINSIYANO 16) MARINO
5)
AN WARAY 17) TINGOG
6)
AKO BICOL
18) TODA
7)
ABONO 19) AGIMAT
8)
AKBAYAN
20) STL
9)
AGAP 21) DUTERTE YOUTH
10)
AKO BISAYA 22) KABAKA
11)
USWAG ILONGGO 23) ANAK IP
12)
GABRIELA 24) API
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.
The groups represent 20% or more than 60 of the 316
congressmen of the 19th Congress.
In the second round of counting as based on the latest poll,
Abono will be getting a second seat or two congressmen that could represent it
in the House of Representatives on June 30 this year.
API nominees are Michael M. Morden, Maricel B. Gotuc, Antonio
P. Perez, Glaiza Mae M. Onia, and Enrico Y. Siahon while Abono’s nominees are
former Congressman Robert Raymund “Eskimo” Estrella, Ronald Alan So, Lenny
Torres, Oftociano "Anong" Manalo, and the one from the Visaya region.
Abono first electoral
victory was in the 2007 election when it won one seat through Rep. Robert
Raymund Estrella.His older brother Conrad is the present lone Congressman of the party.
It performed
better in the 2010, 2013, and 2016 polls when it won two congressional seats in
the House of Representatives.
Its chairman
Rosendo 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.
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.
Espino and
So were political allies before when the former competed with Jamie Agbayani
and former Pangasinan Second District Congressman Victor Agbayani in the 2007
and 2010 governorship races, respectively, in the gargantuan province. Espino
defeated the spouses whose father Aguedo reigned as governor for decades of the
Northern Luzon’s province.
The fallout
between the two allies started when then Governor Espino in the middle of 2000s
increased the real property taxes of the local government unit that upset So
because it could affect the economic welfare of his constituents the farmers.
The
relationship worsen when So and former Pangasinan Fifth District Rep. Mark
Cojuangco - another Espino’s supporter – joined forces for
Cojuangco’s failed bid for the governorship in 2016 against Espino’s son and
namesake the present governor.
Chairman So –
who is also the head of the nationally renowned
Samahang Industriya ng
Agrikultura (SINAG) – is supporting 5th District Cong. Ramon
Guico, III against reelectionist Governor Amado Espino, III.
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