Another dirty trick?

By Leonardo Micua

 

WHILE most of the newsmen were covering the last day of filing and excitedly awaiting former Congressman Mark Cojuangco to file his certificate of candidacy for governor (or for vice governor?) at the Provincial Elections Office at the Dagupan People’s Astrodome, a woman walked in at the City Elections Office at city hall at 2;00 p.m. on Oct.17 to file her certificate of candidacy for mayor of Dagupan as an independent bet.

We are not belittling one Socorro Barrozo Aquino. She may be a bona fide resident of Dagupan and has all the right to run for a public office in her place of residence. But she is virtually unknown in the city and there is doubt about her financial capability to mount a solo city-wide campaign, and to slug it out with her moneyed opponents whose families own several malls in Dagupan, Pangasinan and adjacent provinces.

These in mind somehow fuels the suspicion that she may have been put up by a candidate as part of a ploy to divide the votes of the women and the C-D-E households in Dagupan.

If this is another dirty trick, it will not work. This was tried in 2012 when a namesake of Mayor Belen Fernandez was made to file her CoC with the promise that she would be richly rewarded, i.e., a house and a lot and a tricycle for her son.

As events showed later, the attempt boomeranged on the schemer he lost heavily in that election.

The use of a dirty trick in the hope of winning a political contest is unconscionable if not detestable and should be condemned. Any politician that resorts to a dirty trick is obviously desperate to win by any means.

Bato bato sa langit, ang tamaan huwag sanang magalit.

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Since Mark Cojuangco failed to file his CoC as candidate for a post in the province, the next speculation is he will substitute a candidate before November 29.

 Will Mark replace Art Celeste or the latter’s running-mate Paterno Ordona?

Personally, I seriously doubt that will happen.

Firstly, both Celeste and Orduna filed their respective CoCs as Nacionalista Party bets, and Mark is still with the Nationalist People’s Coalition founded by his father Danding. Mark has to be an NP to be able to qualify to substitute either one. Is it possible he that he would turn his back on NPC?

Secondly, I also doubt if he will ever substitute for Pat and spend a fortune for a post that will not make him the captain but only a lieutenant, and still with no guarantee that he can beat former Third District Board Member Angel Baniqued Sr., vice-gubernatorial bet of Guv Pogi. He’s certainly smarter than  putting himself in that situation.

Thirdly, Fifth District Congressman Amado Espino Jr. did not file for his old post as governor and Pogi did not slide down to vice governor, Mark has nothing to prove by running for vice governor.

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