Punchline
The mad race to Congress
By Ermin Garcia Jr.
Picking up from where I left off in our last issue, taking stock of politics in the province, here are more.
The district derby in the 1st District will be an interesting one. It’s going be a political family feud of sort. Multi-awarded TV journalist Maki Pulido, daughter of political heavyweights Nestor and Alicia, will likely don the family’s armor, to do battle with Jesus Celeste, elder brother of Cong. Arthur Celeste, who’s bent on becoming next mayor of Alaminos City. BM Danilo Sison, a true advocate for OFWs’ cause, will seek to divide and conquer.
In the 2nd District, it will be a contest among personalities with strong name recall. Super-doer Health Sec. Pingkoy Duque will likely make a pitch for his old dream if he’s able to thumb down Lakas-Kampi’s invitation to be in its senate slate. There’s Police Director Leopoldo Bataoil, a media savvy police officer who recently headed the region’s police, and from the district titleholder Agbayani family, comes Jamie, a true-blue political wife, to pitch for hubby Rep. Victor who’s out to reclaim the provincial throne.
The 3rd District will be a rematch between incumbent Rep. Rachel Arenas and the Soriano clan of San Carlos City. Out to avenge the family’s defeat in 2004 is Galant but given the unprecedented number of projects being implemented in the district simultaneously by Cong. Rachel, the Sorianos will have to dig in deep into their resources to match the lady’s popularity.
The outcome of the race in the 4th district still appears to be predictable at this stage of the game. Gina de Venecia, backed by the vaunted decades-old army of JDV believers, is concededly the llamado. LTO chief and former PNP chief Art Lomibao of Mangaldan and possibly DENR Usec. Eli Quinto of Dagupan City have serious catch-up moves to do.
The scenario in the 5th District will likely be a one-on-one between incumbent mayors. Sison Mayor Kimi Cojuangco is raring to prove that she is as capable as her husband Mark, the graduating congressman, to represent the district in Congress, and GMA’s favorite cousin Binalonan Mayor Ramon Guico Jr., perennial president of the mayors league is a formidable foe. Some are wont to label the contest as “The Beauty and the Beast” with a difference: they will not end up together.
The 6th District derby will be just as suspenseful with the expected political combat between GMA’s favorite general, former AFP Chief of Staff Hermogenes Esperon and Guv Spines’ favorite vice-guv Marilyn Primicias Agabas, a proven political heavyweight in her own right.
In the vice-gubernatorial race, we are looking at a possible 5-cornered fight. Former Vice Guvs Oscar Lambino and Ranjit Shahani are set on making a comeback while BM Alfie Bince, Mapandan Mayor Ferdie Calimlim and Mayor Vivien Villar have moist eyes on the post. But the latest we heard is the gentlemen are prepared to give way to the lady if chosen by Guv Spines. Question is: what will the gentlemen do next?
So, place your bets!
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RAMPANT PETTY CRIMES IN THE CITY. The Malimgas public market in Dagupan City, a stone’s throw away from the city hall, has become a haven for petty criminals, from bag snatchers to pickpockets. A stall owner in the market often hears of talks about shoppers being victimized daily inside the market yet nothing is heard about culprits being collared by the police instantly. (A recent victim was my sister). Our friendly storekeeper laments she cannot but suspect that the thieves are protected either by the Dagupan police or by a barangay official to enable them to operate with impunity in the area.
The modus operandi of the bands of thieves is to crowd a shopper, with a little shoving and quick movements, to distract the unsuspecting shopper then slash her handbag from behind. Meanwhile, cellphone thieves in the area merely thrust a pointed object to the sides of victims seen texting in an open area and quietly demand that the phone be turned over to the thief. It’s nothing new to the police yet the police are nowhere to be found to stop them.
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STATISTICS VS. BLOTTER. The police are always quick on the draw to cite statistics as their defense against complaints for their inaction on various crimes when in fact these mean nothing in the face of rampant and worsening crime situations.
People should be wary of police officials who take pains in presenting statistics for these are clearly done to obfuscate problems instead of defining the problems and the solutions. For the most part, police statistics are useful solely for measuring achievements for awards programs and to solicit back-patting from superiors.
The true measure of police’s effectiveness in maintaining peace and order can be found in the lowly police blotter, not in sugar-coated statistics. It documents how many people are victimized daily under the watch of the police commander. One can glean from it the nature of crimes being committed regularly and therefore, says a lot about what the police are not acting on. It illustrates where the police failed to protect and prevent crimes from being committed, ergo, failing the mandate “to serve and to protect”. The police blotter gives crimes a human face: victims have names and perpetrators are described. It’s the antithesis of cold statistics.
So next time the provincial board members or councilors invite police chiefs to explain whatever it is they are and are not doing, it would be instructive for them to require the chiefs to bring recent police blotters as reference to validate the latter’s claims and statistical reports.
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