By Leonardo Micua

 

SENATORIAL wannabe Rep. Camille Villar was among the biggest crowd-drawers, together with our own Manay Gina de Venecia, during Dagupan’s “Kalutan ed Dalan” and Street Party last April 30.

Camille’s presence during the event more than made up for her absence, as she was under the weather, at the rally of members of the Alyansa sa Pagbabago ng  Pilipinas, which is now down to 11 after presidential sister Senator Imee Marcos left the ticket and decided to campaign as an independent.

Although like Senator Imee, Camille was endorsed by Vice President Sara Duterte, Rep. Villar is still a member of the Alyansa, the administration ticket formed by no less than President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Note that when Camille dropped by Dagupan after coming from Bolinao two weeks back, it was the opposition team in Dagupan that received her.

She obviously did that because she is a member of the Nacionalista Party, one of the political parties affiliated  with the Alyansa. And in Dagupan, the Lims lead the NPs.

Little did she realize that neither Celia nor Brian Lim is the political big boss in Dagupan, but Mayor Belen Fernandez, who’s running for reelection, together with her entire UnliSerbisyo team under PBBM’s Partido Federal ng Pilipinas.

After missing the Alyansa rally on April 25, and realizing that her NP party mates in Dagupan are just playing second-fiddle to Belen, Camille may have made up her mind to go and see Belen.

What’s a better way to see and make friends with Belen and her group than to attend the Kalutan?

During a little chat with her, we were cautioned by Mayor Belen to take it easy with Camille by not asking her pointed questions about politics, but merely stick to her programs if she gets elected as senator.

Sana, gusto kung itanong sa kanya if she is still with the Alyansa after doing a fist bump with VP Sara.

Camille said on top of her agenda are programs that are close to her heart like tourism, agriculture, trade and industry, infrastructure, and others, adding that Dagupan and Pangasinan will always be uppermost in her mind if she gets to the Senate.

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If it’s true that hired killers are hunting Urdaneta City Mayor Julio Parayno III, forcing him to watch his steps and to confine his campaign through the Zoom platform, then the Comelec and PNP must move fast before any one’s life is lost.

 This may certainly have something to do with his mayoralty fight for a third and last term, where he is facing the wife of no less than Governor Ramon Guico III  of Pangasinan, Maan Guico.

 Virtually in the shoes of La Manza’s Don Quixote fighting the giant windmills, Parayno does not want to gamble his only God-given life even for a moment.

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A report on Facebook that retired Police Colonel Poly Cayabyab has switched sides this election in favor of the opposition was regarded by Mayor Belen as no big deal.

It’s because there are more former Lim supporters, far bigger fish catch than Cayabyab, who are now actively supporting her and the UnliSerbisyo team.

One is Aguedo Sta. Maria, former market administrator under both Belen and Brian, who is now retired. He was an active campaigner of Brian when he was at the helm, and was reported in 2022 to have barricaded the whole neighborhood of Berrera in Pantal to keep at bay the supporters of Belen.

A staunch supporter of Belen in Barrera told me last May 1 that the blue team has already run out of  big leaders as they are now all on the side of Belen’s red team.

Another is Teddy Villamil, who was there to give his support when Belen filed her certificate of candidacy for reelection in October last year. Teddy worked a long time with the Lims and was a perennial candidate for councilor under their team.

Teddy was, in fact, being awaited by the Lims to fill the last slot for council candidates, but as they were waiting, he was bonding with Belen and her supporters at the St. John the Evangelist Cathedral before she and her team went to the Comelec to file their CoCs.

As to Col. Poly, Belen said he may be out of his mind if he does not support his own niece, Dr. Jaja Cayabyab, one of the biggest stalwarts for the city council under her UnliSerbisyo team.

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