FORMER governor Victor Agbayani, now the congressional representative for the 2nd district, is upset over the proposed renaming of the Governor Aguedo F. Agbayani Park, named after his father, to simply Governors’ Park.

Agbayani said the authors of the proposed ordinance, which has already been approved on first reading by the provincial board, are ignorant of the law and playing on “transactional politics”.

In a press statement, Agbayani said the park’s name “is historical not politicial” as his father served for 17 years, the longest serving governor of Pangasinan.

Agbayani also pointed out that section 13(d) of the Local Government Code of the Philippines prohibits the changing of the name of public places within a 10-year period. The Governor Aguedo F. Agbayani Park was named through Sangguniang Panlalawigan Ordinance No. 119 in 2005.

On the other hand, Board Member Alfonso Bince Jr., the principal author of the ordinance said in an interview with The PUNCH that the move “is not an affront on the memory of Governor Agbayani.”

Bince said the proposed ordinance was in response to mounting requests from heirs of other governors who had also served the province like former Vice Governor Gonzalo Duque and Health Secretary Francisco Duque III who want to build a monument in the park for their father who also served as governor.

Under the ordinance, the park will be transformed into a gallery exhibiting the work and portraits of the past governors of the province.

“I think it will also be a fair commemoration for all the past governors who also contributed to what Pangasinan is now,” he said.

Agbayani laments that Bince, the longest serving board member, was a long-time colleague of his father and even delivered an endearing testimonial speech during the unveiling of the statue of Agueo F. Agbayani on June 14, 2007.

“That he and Board Member (Jeremy Agerico) Rosario (whose late father was also a colleague of my father) would author an ordinance to erase the name of Aguedo F. Agbayani is reflective of the kind of transactional politics we have today which is bereft of principles and the true loyalty of friends,” Agbayani said.

For his part, Rosario said there is nothing political in this proposal but is meant to give equal recognition to the other governors of Pangasinan.#

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