By Leonardo Micua

 

IT remains a puzzle who uploaded the fake news that former Governor Pogi Espino has withdrawn from the race after supposedly being appointed interim secretary of the Presidential Communications Office, which Espino himself flatly denied.

The same fake news claimed that Espino’s running mate, former Dasol Mayor Noel Nacar, and Councilor Franco del Prado of Urdaneta City who is running for congressman in the 5th district also backed out of the race.

Pogi is running against reelectionist Gov. Mon-mon Guico, while Nacar will oppose Guico’s running mate, incumbent Vice Governor Mark Lambino. In the case of Del Prado, he is up against incumbent 5th District Rep. Ramon Guico Jr., father of the governor.

If you ask me, the fake news peddler must be located not far from the 5th District. The person — or persons — responsible might actually be from Urdaneta City, where Del Prado won as the number one councilor in 2022.

We surmise the fake news could be part of a sinister plot coming from the dirty tricks department of the administration camp (where else?) in an obvious move to slow down or stop the continuing Pogi Espino steamroller.

It could only mean that some people are now getting jittery over the sudden surge of Pogi among Pangasinan voters despite his opponent’s advantage in logistics.

Pogi continues to play basketball in plazas and covered courts with the locals, and it seems that makes his opponent nervous.

Pogi wants Pangasinan voters to compare his accomplishments as governor against what Guico has accomplished so far in office.

Meantime, wherever I go, I find time to ask people who they are rooting for in the coming election. Majority say “It’s Pogi, talagang babalik si Pogi”, with due respect to Gov. Mon-mon Guico.

So, this could be the reason why they want Pogi out of the way, and they are doing that by peddling fake news.

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When I was in Urdaneta City, I heard a story about a woman candidate who reportedly made a scene during a medical and dental mission of the Rotary Club of San Diego, California, in coordination with the Rotary Club of Urdaneta, last week in Barangay Labit Proper. 

“Sir, nagwala yong kandidata, pinagalitan yung organizer,” said my source. This was after the lady candidate learned that the Urdaneta City government sent five doctors, seven nurses and two pharmacists to the mission.

The lady candidate allegedly grabbed a microphone and lambasted Merly Catsill, the organizer, questioning the presence of the city’s medical personnel there.

She did not stop even if members of the Rotary Club of Urdaneta told her that it was they who asked for help from the Urdaneta City government. 

Some people in Urdaneta said the woman now appears to be self-destructing, and if she continues with her embarrassing ways, she may drag her husband down, who holds a high provincial post, in her plunge. 

This was reportedly the second time she gate-crashed an event and made a scene that was totally unexpected for her stature. 

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The Dagupan Sangguniang Panlungsod is again going nowhere. For one month since the return of three opposition councilors from their 60-day preventive suspension, all the council did was exchange diatribes in their sessions that did not mean anything to the people of Dagupan.

All talk without any resolution or ordinance passed is not commensurate to the big emoluments they are receiving from public funds. The majority and the minority are in a deadlock over procedural rules and no one is budging.

The majority insists that the internal rules of procedures they approved on July 5, 2022 and its subsequent amendment continue to be in effect uninterruptedly and, therefore, all actions taken by the minority, which adopted its own house rules, are considered illegal and ultra vires.

However, the opposition refuses to formalize their motions into resolutions because that would be an admission that they recognize the new house rules adopted by the minority.

Vice Mayor Kua is firm in rejecting all motions of the majority even if he continues to be the subject of insults by Councilors Redford Erfe-Mejia and Alfie Fernandez.

Minority Councilor Michael Fernandez continues to be the floor leader and has dared his colleagues to change him by way of election, to which the majority has refused to bite.

In the meantime, Mayor Belen Fernandez is happily working, delivering projects and services with the approved 2025 annual budget of P1.6 billion plus six supplemental budgets.

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