Coco Martin Look–Alike Won by Landslide Vs. Siting VM, Ex-VM

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – A less moneyed vice mayoralty candidate in this capital town buried with massive votes a sitting vice mayor and a former vice mayor here because of his being a doppelganger of the country’s most sought actor Coco Martin of the top-rating television drama series’ FPJ Ang Probinsyano.

LOOK-ALIKE. Lingayen Vice Mayor Dexter Malicdem (left) who is dubbed as the dead ringer of TV King actor Coco Martin and Mayor Leopoldo Bataoil pose for posterity near the town hall. Malicdem won in a landslide votes in the May election against then incumbent Vice Mayor Juday Vargas and former Vice Mayor Nephtalie Pasiliao with 22, 148 and 18, 514 margin, respectively. 

“Probinsiyano kami diya! Probinsiyano kami diya! Probinsiyano kami diya! (We are for the Probinsiyano here! We are for Probinsiyano here! We are for Probinsiyano here!),” chants paraphrased by public relation man Arnel Montemayor in the office of the mayor of the supporters of this town’s newly elected Vice Mayor Mac Dexter Malicdem every time he went to do a stump to most of the 32 villages here months before the May 9, 2022 election.

Martin alias the intrepid Kardo Dalisay is the King of Philippines’ boob tube.

“Kardo Dalisay ako, Sir! (I’m Kardo Dalisay, Sir!)” gamely quipped to Montemayor and this writer by Malicdem about Martin's role in the television series when the duo visited him at the office of the mayor for his acting role as the chief executive after Mayor Leopoldo Bataoil went to South Korea.

The 31 years old still single Malicdem told Northern Watch Newspaper that he is not a product of a political family since no one among his ascendants has experience with politics in the past.

He is a registered nurse who worked momentarily at the Regional-1 Medical Center in Dagupan City before he resigned and took his Bachelor of Science in Optometry at the Lyceum Northwestern University in Dagupan City.

Leading star Coco Martin in "Ang Probinsyano" | Photo Credit: Instagram/ Mr.Cocomartin

The courteous soft spoken vice mayor disclosed that when he ran for the Sangguniang Bayan (legislative assembly) in the May 9, 2016 he won the No. 2 slot of the eight members body.

In the May 13, 2019 poll he was catapulted to the No. 1 post among the eight members’ S.B.

In the May 9, 2022 electoral derby he “bludgeoned” the incumbent Vice Mayor Juday Vargas and former Vice Mayor Nephtalie Pasiliao with 22, 148 and  18, 514 lead votes, respectively.

In that poll Malicdem, Pasilao, and Vargas garnered 33, 679, 15, 514, 11, 531 total votes, respectively.