17 LP mayoral bets in Pangasinan ‘defecting’ to Espino?

URDANETA CITY, Philippines – Seventeen of the 26 mayoral candidates under the banner of the Liberal Party (LP) in Pangasinan have declared their “unwavering support” to the re-election bid of Gov. Amado Espino Jr., standard bearer of the Nationalist People’s Coalition, the dominant political party in Pangasinan.

But Espino’s rival, Alaminos City Mayor Hernani Braganza, dismissed the report yesterday. “I was even with some of those mentioned in the list only last night (Tuesday).”

The report prompted Braganza’s camp to hold an emergency meeting yesterday in Calasiao town, attended by some of those who were supposedly shifting their support to Espino.

In a statement, Espino’s camp said the group allied with the LP breakaway faction of sixth district board member Ranjit Shahani had signed a covenant citing the re-electionist governor’s performance in leading Pangasinan to become one of the country’s top performing local government units. 

“We are not defecting from the LP. We are just declaring publicly our support for Gov. Espino,” Shahani clarified.     

“The group remains supportive of the Team PNoy senatorial bets and the party’s â€˜matuwid na daan (straight path)’ policy,” Shahani said. 

He said his group wants it known that “we do not adhere to the dirty tactics, especially character assassination, employed by the governor’s rival.” 

Shahani’s group would formalize the covenant they signed before former senator Leticia Ramos-Shahani in the family’s ancestral home in Asingan town on April 21. 

Those who signed the covenant were Sta. Barbara Mayor Carlito Zaplan, comebacking mayor of San Carlos City Douglas Soriano, and Mayors Benigno Robeniol of Asingan, Moises Hortaleza of Sta. Maria, Eddie Lopez of San Manuel, Madelyn Cabotaje of Tayug, Rowena Zaragoza of Natividad, Percival Mallari of Infanta, Felicitas Soriano of Malasiqui, Renato Legaspi of Binalonan, Herminigildo Marzan of Balungao, Dominador Arenas of Labrador, and Constante Agbayani of San Fabian. 

Other LP mayoral bets who are supposedly set to sign the covenant include Wilson de Vera of Calasiao, Romeo Boling of Mabini, Gerardo Rosete of Burgos, and Bongkil Sison of Agno, according to the statement.

As a result of the “defection,” the LP-Braganza wing now has the support of only nine mayoral bets in Pangasinan, the statement added.