Tough political battles seen in 2 cities, 2 towns
URDANETA, DAGUPAN, BINMALEY, SUAL
EVEN before the campaign period for local candidates started on March 28, all eyes were already on Urdaneta City, Binmaley, Sual and Dagupan City in that order as the intense political rivalries among their candidates could lead to unsteady peace in these areas.
All four places were placed by the Commission on Elections and the Philippine National Police as areas of concern in this election or orange category where the poll body and the police may deploy augmentation forces to help maintain the peace.
Urdaneta City is under watch because of the keen rivalry between incumbent Mayor Julio Parayno III and Maan Guico, wife of Gov. Ramon Guico III.
To date, Parayno, subject of a one-year suspension order from the Office of the President, including his cousin Vice Mayor Jimmy Parayno, which they attributed to having been initiated by Guico and his allies, reportedly enjoys the support of 18 barangay chairmen while Mrs Guico has 16 barangay captains.
Although Parayno said Urdaneta has no history of political violence, his bodyguard was slain last year by a suspected hired assassin near his home. The case remains unsolved.
In a recent post on Facebook, Mrs. Guico complained of the harassment allegedly she’s being subjected to, citing the exclusion proceedings allegedly initiated by Parayno’s camp when he excluded 114 residents of Urdaneta from the list of voters.
She bewailed references made by her detractors as “having lost her mind” on the few occasions that she lost her cool, sometimes in public for justifiable reasons.
In Binmaley, Vice Mayor Simplicio Rosario is out to give incumbent Pedro Merrera III a tough fight. The two protagonists have swapped charges against each other that even reached the court.
In Sual, incumbent Mayor Liseldo Calugay is getting a tough challenge from Arthur Celeste Jr., son and namesake of re-elections Rep. Arthur Celeste of the First District, who is unopposed.
In previous election, Calugay defeated former Bolinao Mayor and former First District Congressman Celeste, and is facing a new Celeste in his last run as mayor of Sual.
Dagupan is also a place to watch in this election. Although incumbent Mayor Belen Fernandez is believed ahead of her opponent Celia Lim, their respective vice mayoralty bets, incumbent Bryan Kua of the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas, and Brian Lim of the Nacionalista Party are expected to clash toe to toe in the coming election.
In the provincial election, incumbent Gov. Ramon Guico III who is confidently heralding his achievement is getting a stiff challenge from former Gov. Amado Espino III. The governor has been busy gracing town fiestas while the comebacking governor has been busy in barangay fiestas.
In the congressional race, the battle to watch is in the Second District between Rep. Mark Cojuangco and Lingayen Mayor Leopoldo Bataoil, reportedly backing Rep. Marlyin Primicias-Agabas in the Sixth District versus Gilbert Estella, son of DAAR Secretary Conrad Estrella III.
Political observers are also watching if the alliance between Gov. Guico and VG Mark Lambino will remain after Guico endorsed incumbent Mayor Bonafe against the VG’s mother, Marilyn! (Leonardo Micua)
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