Think about it
Mayor –elect Belen to restore consultative governance
By Jun Velasco
“The measure of a man’s greatness is not in the number of servants he has, but in the number of people he serves” – E.C. Mckenzie
WITH the midterm elections over, we can now go back to some of the things we were supposed to do — but failed.
In the province, Governor Spines’ overwhelming re-election should dash the cases brought against him in the last damaging campaign.
Our Governor, well known for his organization genius and sharp tongue deserves a pat on the back for his phenomenal victory. He even beat Nani Braganza in his own hometurf – Alaminos City.
To erase doubts once and for all, his man, former Rep. Art Celeste vanquished Nani’s own son, Lean, in the Alaminos City mayoral race.
Spines also showed his supremacy in the mayoral race in Bugallon where his son Jumel clobbered an Orduna-backed candidate.
Ditto in Bani town, where Nani’s closest ally, Mayor Marcelo Navarro, bowed to Mayor-elect Gwen Palafox- Yamamoto, daughter of our cumpadre Boying and cumadre Edith Palafox.
We’re not saying Nani, who is a former congressman and cabinet secretary (Agrarian and Press), is inferior to Espino in leadership qualities. There were just a combination of factors that pushed Spines to victory, while Nani was navigating perilous waters with a rickety machine.
Ditto with re-elected Vice Governor Ferdie Calimlim who beat a popular Gen. Arturo Lomibao. We thought cumpadre Art would stage a sprint to victory in last three weeks, but the Spines-Ferdie machine was just too much.
Smarting from the defeat, cumadre Jackie, we heard, vows to push Art to Urduja next time.
Let us say, machinery, issues, public relations and perceptions provided the winning formula for the Team Espino-Calimlim’s phenomenal victory.
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In Dagupan, what dramatically turned the tables for Vice Mayor Belen Fernandez was the below-the-belt propaganda that assaulted the sensibilities of Dagupenos, while Belen’s propagandists zeroed in on the hard issues.
Her detractors did every trick, good and bad, to weaken Belen via the blackest propaganda ever thrown hereabouts.
It was earlier a toe-to-toe affair until a foul sheet obscenely carrying the ”Sunday Punch” masthead came out. Dagupenos love to laugh, but the thing made them vomit. The voters showed their disgust in the ballot.
Belen’s ascent to the mayoral chair is expected to restore consultative governance, even if Brian Lim sits as a vice mayor!
Let’s salute Brian for his landslide victory. The voters, it seems, followed the INC’s win-win anointment-wisdom, although INC outsiders Joey Tamayo and Emong Vallejos won!
We heard a new composition of the council will march back to Belen’s stable knowing how strong the mayor now is, thanks to the resolution that reorganized the council that sought to emasculate then Vice Mayor Belen. Describe it karmic, the weakened power of the vice mayor is now in Brian’s chair.
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While we wrote this, a prayer for Dagupan City Mayor Benjie Lim was about to be held at the St. John’s Cathedral — an act of family members, friends and allies to collectively storm the heavens for the recovery of the mayor who suffered a stroke on the eve before Election Day.
We wouldn’t know how we could join the prayer.
In spite of political differences, Benjie has remained a valued friend and cumpadre on several counts. It was through Benjie that we met at his Duty free office our guru in journalism, the late Max Soliven.
BSL and his very kind wife Celia were with our brothers Dante and Norman when they rushed us to Nazareth Hospital on the eve of DCNHS’ alumni night. We would be unChristian if we don’t cherish their friendship. Cathy is even a close friend of Celia.
If we fail to attend the prayer- mass at St. John’s, we’d surely do our praying wherever we would be. We know that God who is everywhere and in His infinite goodness will keep him safe.
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NOTES. Mayor Belen should take a direct hand in healing our ailing river system in deference to Dagupan’s moniker as bangus capital of the world. …..We felicitate the other winners in the Dagupan race: Councilors Maybelyn Fernandez, Karlos Reyna, Alfie Fernandez, Jig Seen, Jess Canto, Alvin Coquia, Red Erfe Mejia, Marvin Fabia, Joey Tamayo and Emong Vallejos….. Welcome home , ol’ pal Bien Juan from Indiana and Ilocos Norte and brother Knights of Rizal Howard Laurente of Saudi Arabia and Burgos, Pangasinan……
Congratulations to re-elected Congressmen Boying Celeste, Pol Bataoil, Gina de Venecia, Kimi Cojuangco and Rosemarie Arenas and Marlyn Agabas, the last two being unopposed; new political stars Mayor-elects Gwen Yamamoto (Bani), Paulo Mencias (Alcala), Bona De Vera (Mangaldan), Constante Agbayani (San Fabian), Kim Amador (Manaoag), Jumel Espino (Bugallon), Tyrone Agabas (Tayug) Bing Arcinue (Sual), Julier Resuello (San Carlos City) Eday Castaneda (Lingayen), Sammy Rosario (Binmaley), Mark Macanlalay (Calasiao), Carlito Zaplan (Sta. Barbara) and Monmon Guico III, Teddy Ramos (Sta. Maria), and Ric Camacho (Bayambang– unopposed), and Bobom Perez (Urdaneta City-unopposed).
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