By Leonardo Micua

THE UnliSerbisyo team of Dagupan made history of sorts when it scored a near sweep of the May 12 elections at the expense of the opposition group led by the Lim mother and son tandem.

Credit it to the hard work of Mayor Belen Fernandez who campaigned with all her might along with her team to attain the target 13-0 verdict, and eventually do away the seven majority councilors who did nothing but be obstructionists for three years.

Six of the seven lost in the election, with only Councilor and Majority Floor Leader Dada Reyna as the lone survivor. The noisiest of the seven ranked 17th in the final count.

Dada might as well make peace with Belen and join the new majority in the Sanggunian. But I am sure wounds will not easily heal on the part of  Belen who was wronged by the despicable seven by blocking the annual budget and other important legislation.

The defeat of the Lims and their gang was a virtual repudiation by the awakened people of Dagupan to their many contemptuous actuations in the Sanggunian.

I know Belen has a soft heart and could easily let bygones be bygones.  But, can she?

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The biblical passage saying blessed are the persecuted for they will soon find mercy in God can be applied in the case of Urdaneta Mayor Julio Parayno III and his cousin, Vice Mayor Jimmy Parayno, who despite their suspension for one year by the Office of the President still won handily against their respective opponents 

 They and their nine candidates for councilor defied all odds when they beat the Maan Guico-led team, backed by the machinery of the provincial capitol as Maan is wife to Gov. Ramon Guico III.

 The suspension from the OP was actually Mayor  Parayno’s second one-year suspension. An earlier one was imposed by no less than Governor Guico upon recommendation of his controlled Sangguniang Panlalawigan. 

 But the earlier suspension was found by the Regional Trial Court as excessive and virtually invalidated it. Parayno then filed a case of abuse of power against the governor and members of the Sanggunian before the Ombudsman. 

 In the just concluded election, there is no denying the fact that the provincial capitol unleashed its full might to campaign for Maan and defeat the Paraynos and their entire team, who all run as independent candidates after their political party was denied registration by the Commission on Elections. 

 But the people of Urdaneta did not let their own son down.

 It is also worth noting that former Governor Pogi Espino, who lost again to Gov. Guico, did get majority of the votes in Urdaneta.

 We heard that Mayor Rammy is now challenging 16 of the city’s barangay captains who supported Maan to make good their promise to resign from their respective posts if he wins the election. He’s waiting for their move.

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Another suspended mayor came out victorious in the May 12 election – Sual Mayor Lesildo Calugay, who handily defeated his lone opponent, Arthur Celeste Jr., son and namesake of First District Rep. Arthur Celeste.

It was his second time to defeat a Celeste in his own turf. In the 2022 election, Calugay defeated former Rep. Boying Celeste, who has since returned to their native town, Bolinao where he reclaimed his old seat as mayor, replacing his brother Noli, who was elected as the town’s vice mayor.

Also winning in the battle royale that happened in Sual was a virtually unknown guy, Max Millan, who was Calugay’s running mate in the API political party, who defeated the youthful Celeste’s running mate, Vice Mayor JC Arcinue.

Note that Arcinue took his oath as acting mayor of Sual following the three-month suspension of Mayor Calugay, based on a letter of designation signed by Interior and Local Government Secretary Junvic Remulla

With Calugay as mayor and Millan as vice mayor, Sual has become dan API town, with their teammates dominating the eight council seats.  Add this to the fact that in the last election, Pogi Espino won over incumbent Gov. Guico in Sual.

With his loss, Arcinue will have to hand over the position of acting mayor to Millan by June 30 while Mayor Calugay would still be under suspension at the time.

The young Arcinue seemed to be in a hurry to be the town’s acting mayor, forgetting that he needed to campaign more to preserve his seat.

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