ABONO Party Assures of Two Congressmen on Latest Poll

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 19^th 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 19^th 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 5^th District Cong. Ramon Guico, III against reelectionist Governor Amado Espino, III.

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