Enough of madiLIM in Dagupan

By Gonzalo Duque

WE believe that for Dagupan to continue its surge as the richest city in Region 1 per the evaluation of the Commission on Audit, Mayor Belen should be given her third and final term of office.

We see chaos and confusion if somebody else who is unfamiliar with the work of good governance gets elected to the post. A mayor doing on-the job training before he gets down to work, will only spell disaster that we all would be sorry for.

We need an expert hand such as Belen, who has a good connection with the congressman in the district for the city to further bloom and boom and for it to rise as a first class city. So, the right combination is Toff for the fourth district and Belen for Dagupan.

With Belen at the helm, we are almost certain to leap to a first class city from second class. A misjudgment at the polls, influenced by a measly P500 and biometrics, could pull us back to where we came from– the dark ages– thus derailing all plans to pole-vault Dagupan to the top.

Huwag hayaan maging madiLIM na naman ang buong Dagupan! Gusto ninyo ba yon?  

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From where we sit and with few more days before judgment day, we see Bong Go as one of the front runners in the senatorial race in the coming mid-term election. 

Not only because Bong Go has the full backing of President Du30 but he has a clout of his own that could sway any undecided voter in his favor.     

He again proved this when he graced the opening ceremonies of the Pista’y Dayat in Pangasinan along with his teammates in the Hugpong ng Pagbabago Senators Koko Pimentel, Sonny Angara, Bato de la Rosa, Francis Tolentino and Jinggoy Estrada. 

Bong Go stayed to partake of the “Boodle Fight” prepared for the occasion, side by side with Governor Pogi Espino and Vice Governor Jose Ferdinand Calimlim and us.       

After lunch, he and his party were up again to another campaign sortie as he is not taking his fate to chance. In the homestretch of the campaign, anyone who slows down, will suffer.   

That was why the night before, Bato, Angara, Tolentino, Estrada and yes, former Senator Juan Ponce Enrile joined Mayor Belen Fernandez, former Speaker and Mrs. Joe de Venecia and their son Congressman Toff de Venecia were in the Bangusan street party in Dagupan City.

By the way, the administration candidates have the edge in this mid-term election not only because of their well-oiled political machinery but because this is a referendum for President Duterte if he has made a difference in this country for the last three years.

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We think Congressman Toff de Venecia, the unico hijo of our good friends former Speaker Joe and former Congresswoman Gina de Venecia is unbeatable in his second run for Congress as representative of the Fourth District of Pangasinan.

Not only because he is in the mold of his famous parents but Toff did his assignment well in the 17th Congress by authoring many meaningful legislation that are now benefiting the whole nation and his own constituencies.

Aside from that, he brought home many significant projects, among them the boardwalks in Tondaligan Park in Dagupan and Bolasi, San Fabian, the rice processing complex in Oraan East, Manaoag and a soon to be Olympic-size swimming pool at the Mangaldan National High School and a planned Tourism Complex in San Jacinto.

Aside from that, he is working with Mayor Belen Fernandez in hopefully ending the floods in Dagupan City. 

He has that influence and the clout to follow up all these significant projects with proper government agencies. I am not saying any of his three opponents cannot do this too if elected. But at the rate they are going, we can only wish Toff’s three challengers “better luck next time.” Methinks, they have not gotten enough support from the electorate in the Fourth District to down a De Venecia, a name that is already a legend many years before all the three were born.   

I did fight Kuya Joe twice in the past but I’ve learned my lesson well. I tell you, those experiences I had when I faced a giant in politics made me a better person!

But anyway, Toff’s three opponents should be saluted for enlivening the democratic process and for not letting the congressman go unopposed.

Well, for practical reason, Toff must go back to Congress as he has many more important bills of nationwide and local applications yet to be passed.

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