Tittle -Tattle: Estrella vs. Vice Guv Lambino

By Mortz C. Ortigoza, MPA

The critics of Pangasinan Governor Monmon Guico and Vice Governor Mark Ronald Lambino –dubbed as the vaunted Aguila in the 2022 Election – fail to sow intrigue on the photo of come backing congressional wannabe Manay Gina de Venecia of the Pangasinan 4^th District where the De Venecia’s matriarch posed for a photo op with Guico, outgoing 4^th District Cong. Toff de Venecia, and Albert Romero Estrella.

Albert Romero Estrella (extreme left photo) and Pangasinan Vice Governor Mark Ronald Lambino (extreme right photo). Estrella is the scion of Department of Agrarian Reform Sec. Conrad Estrella.

Estrella represented his father Department of Agrarian Reform Sec. Conrad Estrella during the Farmers' Night at a fiesta in Manaoag, Pangasinan.

Some media men at the Capitol suspected that the young Estrella – who has a male twin – was doing a stomp and soiree to countless of places in the huge province for his vice gubernatorial bid.

A high official doused water to the perception of the Capitol friendly reporters that the boy zeroes to unseat the vice governor at his perch in the capital town’s Lingayen.

Albert is ubiquitous nowadays because he is going to replace his uncle – Cong. Eskimo Estrella - as the first nominee of the Abono Partylist while his twin’s Gilbert will be challenging Pangasinan 6^th District Marlyn Primicias-Agabas. This after the latter was rumored to undermine the bid of the Estrellas in the district to have another congressional apportionment so their kin could run unopposed for Congress.

I wrote on my blog then: “The cause of the riff, my source who asked on conditioned of anonymity, started when Estrella’s younger brod Cong. Robert Raymund “Eskimo” Estrella, who is the lone Representative of Abono Partylist, passed a bill in the House of Representatives to transform Pangasinan six congressional districts to eight. (MY QUESTION: Why file a bill for an eight- district when we could have up to 12 districts based on our more than three million populations by using the Constitutional barometer of not least than 250, 000 population for creating a congressional district?).  My source said that Cong. Estrella’s bill carved out the towns of Asingan, Balungao and Rosales and Sta. Maria – both the bailiwick of the Estrellas - all from the old 6^th District for the new 7^th District that includes too the towns of Villasis and Sto. Tomas of the 5^th District. My mole told me that the actuation of Estrella – whose brother – DAR Sec. Conrad - and him have shaky alliance with 6^th District Rep. Marlyn Primicias-Agabas – offended the camp of the latter. Agabas’ hubby – a former congressman – is the incumbent Tayug Mayor Tyrone Agabas. “Since she is a Deputy Majority Leader of the 19^th Congress, she could torpedo the bill in the committee level before it goes to the plenary for votation,” my source – an avid reader of this column - told me when I pooh-poohed how can a lone congresswoman frustrates a bill for the welfare of the folks in Pangasinan when the 315 members of the House of Representatives resort to the popular votes and not her to catapult the bill into a law (of course with the collaboration of the Senate and the final signature of the President to make it a real law - as what our Prof taught us in Political Science)”

COJUANGCO AND VG LAMBINO’S BROUHAHA

When I crossed path with Vice Governor Lambino last Monday at the Capitol, he reacted to the two sentences of my front page news article in the vernacular titled: Si VG Lambino na ang Gustong Makalaban ni Urdaneta Mayor that saw print on our April 21-27 issue of the Northern Watch Newspaper where I am the Editor-in-Chief.

THE VAUNTED members of the Aguila that destroyed the political machinery of the Espino family in Pangasinan. From left to right: Pangasinan 1st District Rep. Art Celeste, Pangasinan 2nd District Rep. Mark Cojuangco, Pangasinan Governor Monmon Guico, and Billionaire Businessman Cezar Quiambao. 

  I wrote: “Noong mag krus ang landas ni Lambino at Cojuangco kamakailan sa Bagoong Festival sa Lingayen, sinabihan ng huli ang una na hahanapan niya ng kalaban sa pagiging bise gobernador si Lambino”.

“Itong pangyayari ay ayon sa insider ng diyaryong ito sa Lingayen na nagsabi na masama pa rin ang loob ni Cojuangco matapos magpatawag noong September 2023 si Lambino sa mga miyembro ng provincial board para imbestigahan ang illegal na P75 million na seawall sa Lingayen na panukala ni Cojuangco na gawin ng Department of Public Works & Highway”.

The young two-term vice governor told me that he met with the solon and was told what I wrote above. He disagreed however that Cojuangco was still smarting on what he did and his lawmakers on the seawall.

“A few days later I met him and everything was fine as if nothing happens,” he told me.

As what the overused phrase said: All well that ends well!

So If Lambino and Cojuanco are chummy again so with Governor Guico and the mestizo 2^nd District congressman – the son of the man behind the success of the mammoth conglomerate’s San Miguel Corporation.

In a post at Facebook by Cojuangco dated April 19, Governor Guico was seen in a jovial moment with the solon, Pangasinan 1^st District Rep. Art Celeste, and Billionaire Businessman Cezar Quiambao where they dined at a posh restaurant in Imperial Manila, probably, and stood, held their fingers, and raised their hands to project to all and sundry their unity.

Cojuangco captioned it: “Ayon sa mga bali-balita na gawa ng mga Marites at Tolits, nabuwag na raw ang TEAM AGUILA. Ako raw at si Gov. Ramon Mon-Mon Guico III ay hindi na nag-uusap at may samaan ng loob, at tumiwalag na raw ako sa Team AGuiLa. Wala na pong paliguy-ligoy pa, kayo na ang humusga! Sabi nga nila, a picture paints a thousand words. Kaya heto na po ang picture namin na kuha ngayong gabi Paki-share na lang sa mga Marites at Tolits, mga ka-distrito!

I quipped by writing at my Facebook Account after sharing the photos of the meeting of those four powerful men of Pangasinan:

“Ayaw niyo kasi maniwala sa mga blogs ko na walang kalaban sa pagka Gob si Monmon Guico sa 2025 election. Heto, buongbuo ang apat na orig ng Aguila!” after Governor Guico showed me text messages from Cojuangco, Cong. Toff de Venecia, and Manay Gina de Venecia who greet him on his natal day.

The quadrumvirate of Guico, Cojuangco, Quiambao, and Celeste collaborated in the 2022 Election to destroy big time the political machinery of their archrival the perennial ruling Espino family – composed of former Governor Amado, his son and namesake the former Guv, and his congressman son’s Jumel -  in the national and provincial politics.

With Guico and Lambino cozying up with Cojuangco, their critics and bashers have lost topics to sow intrigue.

Paano iyan walang kalaban na formidable sa governorship and vice governorship sa 2025 election ang dalawa, another three years kayong insecure na naman niyan mga kritiko at sour grapes?