Guv’s son and brother win election bids
LINGAYEN—Two other Espinos, the son and brother of re-elected Gov. Amado Espino Jr, won won their respective bids in the May 13 polls.
Jumel Anthony Espino, 24, single, the youngest son of the governor, was elected as mayor of Bugallon town and he comes down in history as the youngest mayor of Pangasinan.
A neophyte in politics, he bested his two opponents, an incumbent mayor and a retired police colonel, garnering more than 15,000 votes with a margin of more than 6,000 votes from his closest rival.
“It’s such a nice feeling and a big relief to our family because we survived the pains inflicted to us the past six months,” the young Espino said.
He will take over the town’s reins from outgoing Mayor Rodrigo Orduña, a self-confessed jueteng operator, who filed a plunder case against the governor before the Office of Ombudsman for allegedly receiving millions of pesos in jueteng money.
Orduña ran and won as vice mayor,
Jumel said he hopes Orduña would set aside politics and vendetta and work with him for the good of the town.
IN BAUTISTA
Meanwhile, in Bautista town, Board Member Amadeo Espino, youngest brother of the governor, was elected mayor and will take over from his nephew, outgoing Mayor Amado Espino III.
Amadeo, currently the provincial federation president of the Liga ng mga Barangay, got more than 9,000 votes with a margin of less than 6,000 votes from his lone rival.
He won with his running mate, his other nephew, Joseph Espino, the son of their other brother, the late Mayor Jose Espino.
Amadeo said his win and his team’s overwhelming victory is a “sweet vindication” against the issues raised against the governor during the elections.
“Now it’s a vindication. The people have spoken,” he said.
Aside from the plunder case, the Department of Justice also filed murder charges against the governor and re-elected first district Rep. Jesus Celeste for allegedly plotting the murder of their political ally, Infanta Mayor Ruperto Martinez in December.
Both Espino and Celeste have vehemently denied the charge against them saying it is baseless and was merely intended to harass them during the campaign.
Amadeo said the campaign was easy as far as legwork in reaching out the people was concerned “but it is very difficult mentally and emotionally especially that we saw how government agencies were used (by the governor’s opponent)”.
“It’s a good thing the people did not believe the issues against him (the governor) with the turnout of votes,” Amadeo said.
“We just hoped the fight would have been fair and square, not below the belt up to the last day of the election,” he said, adding that the Espino family was seriously hurt.–Eva Visperas
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