SURPRISE TURN AROUND

LINGAYEN—Board Member Ranjit Shahani has once again taken a 180-degree political turn.

Shahani, who is running for re-election in the May 2013 polls, announced he is now supporting the re-election bids of Governor Amado Espino Jr. and his running mate Jose Ferdinand Calimlim under the Nationalist People’s Coalition.

Speaking at the KBPforum last week, the Liberal Party-member Shahani, who has earlier lambasted Espino “as the most corrupt governor that Pangasinan ever had”, said the Espino-Calimlim team should be allowed “to continue their good works for the province”.

Shahani nonetheless said while he cannot support the LP ticket led by its gubernatorial bet, outgoing Alaminos Mayor Hernani Braganza, he still believes in the Liberal Party as a whole and that it remains strong in Pangasinan.

The LP leadership, however, has indicated that Shahani will be ousted from the party.

In a press statement, LP provincials Spokesman Oscar Lambino said they consider Shahani to have already defected.

“We are saddened by this turn of events for we thought Ranjit, a ranking LP leader in Pangasinan, has finally taken to heart the Party’s vision of ‘Sa Daang Matuwid, Asensong Walang Patid’ for the province,” Lambino said.

Even as LP member, Shahani was a member of the coalition in the provincial board that supported Espino.

But several months ago, he bolted from this coalition and became an arch-critic of the Pangasinan governor.

FAILED AMBITION?

Lambino said the LP in Pangasinan is letting Shahani go because of his “furious attempt to besmirch the name of the party” and its process in selecting official candidates for the 2013 elections.

He said contrary to Shahani’s allegation of lack of transparency in the LP selection process, Shahani was in fact an active participant in the identification of possible local candidates”.

Lambino maintained that Shahani had taken an active role in the selection committee for the 2013 elections until the last day of the filing of candidacy when party leaders finally decided to field Braganza and his running mate, retired Philippine National Police chief Arturo Lomibao

“It is no secret in Pangasinan that Ranjit has been aspiring to be named as the official candidate of the Liberal Party for the vice-gubernatorial post. He had intimated this ambition to local Party leaders, and he had agreed to subject himself to the selection process,” Lambino said.

Initial buzz in the political arena was that the LP will field former Governor Victor Agbayani for a comeback with Shahani as running mate.

Agbayani has opted not to run for any elective position and was appointed as the campaign manager of the LP in Pangasinan.

Braganza himself said he could not have picked Shahani as his running mate because he was worried what the people will tell if they will team up together “since we are relatives”.

Shahani is a son of former Senator Leticia Ramos Shahani, younger sister of former President Fidel V. Ramos, who are first cousins of Purita Ramos Agsalud Braganza, mother of the LP gubernatorial bet.

“I expected him (Shahani) to respect the decision of party leaders in Pangasinan, which was cleared with and approved by national party leaders,” Lambino said, adding that it seems

Shahani could not accept the decision that did not fulfill “his personal ambition”.

“We hope that Ranjit will finally find the peace in his heart that he has been longing for. We wish him well in his campaign for a seat in the Provincial Board. We hope he can be a partner again in our quest to transform the Provincial Capitol into a graft-free and efficient local government unit, led by officials who are “Maka-Pangasinan” and not “Makasarili.” Lambino concluded his statement.

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