el: (Feature) Battles of the North
Balita News
LESS THAN a week from the elections, voters in Northern and
Central Luzon eagerly wait for the results of interesting political
matchups in these parts of the country.
As voters in Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Cordillera and Central
Luzon prepare their list of candidates, politicians who boast of
electoral strength, money and even guns, are positioning
themselves to snatch coveted posts on May 11.
Keenly awaited is the battle among relatives and former political
allies in Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur.
In Ilocos Sur, people are all eyes and ears for the battle between
cousins, reelectionist Gov. Luis "Chavit" Singson and Rep. Eric
Singson.
The Commission on Elections placed the entire province under
its watchlist to avert possible violence that would ensue from
the fight between the Singsons.
In Ilocos Norte, Imee Marcos-Manotoc, daughter of the late
President Ferdinand Marcos, is challenging her granduncle,
reelectionist Rep. Simeon Valdez, 81, for the congressional seat
in the second district.
In the gubernatorial race, another Marcos scion, Ferdinand
"Bongbong" Marcos Jr., will face his father's former political
lieutenant, Rep. Roque Ablan Jr.
In Abra, third-termer Gov. Vicente Valera is running for the lone
congressional district against former rebel priest Conrado
Balweg.
Valera and Balweg have traded accusations that the other has
been harassing Abra voters. Balweg heads the Cordillera
People's Liberation Army and Valera is said to employ armed
bodyguards.
In Pangasinan, it will be a battle between two Lakas-NUCD
members. President Ramos' sister, Sen. Leticia Ramos-Shahani,
is running for governor against Vice Gov. Victor Agbayani.
Agbayani, who failed to get the Lakas endorsement, is running
as a Lakas independent.
In Cagayan, the race is a test of electoral strength between Gov.
Rodolfo Aguinaldo and reelectionist Rep. Manuel Mamba in the
third congressional district.
Both have expressed confidence that they would win.
Aguinaldo said his popularity would place him in Congress.
"The people still believe in me. I will make sure that the political
monopoly of the Mambas will come to an end," Aguinaldo said.
Mamba, however, said Aguinaldo's popularity has waned and is
"ineffective" now. "His time has passed, his popularity has gone
down and I can see that I will win handily," Mamba said.
Aguinaldo and Mamba are both running under Lakas-NUCD.
The two, however, have been bitter rivals since 1989 when
Aguinaldo suspended Mamba, then Tuao mayor, over an
administrative case.
In La Union, the battle royale between Rep. Jose Aspiras and
reelectionist Gov. Justo Orros Jr. for the gubernatorial post is
being awaited.
Earlier, Orros was said to breeze through the elections because
no strong opponent has come forward to challenge him. Then
came Aspiras who filed his certificate of candidacy shortly
before the March 27 deadline.
But observers said Aspiras, who is reportedly sick, would not
stand a chance against Orros, a member of the powerful Ortega
clan of La Union. Aspiras, reports said, rarely goes around the
province to campaign.
In the mayoral race in San Fernando City in La Union, Mary
Jane Ortega, wife of outgoing Rep. Victor Francisco Ortega, is
running against retired general Artemio Tadiar.
* Tarlac
In Tarlac, two scions of political families are slugging it out in
the congressional race in the second district. Benigno "Noynoy"
Aquino III, only son of the late Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. and
former President Corazon Aquino, is facing former Victoria Vice
Mayor Victor Yap, son of Lakas-NUCD Tarlac chair Rep. Jose
Yap.
The elder Yap is also facing a member of the Aquino-Cojuangco
clan, reelectionist Gov. Margarita Cojuangco, in the
gubernatorial race.
In Pampanga, Paulo Puyat Bondoc is running for a
congressional seat in the fourth district vacated by his late
father, Rep. Emigdio Bondoc. He will face former National
Housing Authority manager Marciano Pineda.
Pineda ran and lost twice against the elder Bondoc.
In Nueva Ecija, it is a "battle of sob stories" between
gubernatorial bets Tomas Joson III of Bagong Lakas ng Nueva
Ecija (Balane) and Virginia Custodio-Perez of Lakas-NUCD.
Joson III is detained at Camp Crame as one of the suspects in
the murder of former Cabanatuan City Mayor Honorato Perez,
husband of Virginia.
Tomas Joson IV, Joson III's son, is campaigning for his father
and ends his talk with a plea to gift them with votes on May 11,
a day after his father's birthday.
Custodio-Perez, on the other hand, uses the death of her
husband in her campaign speeches, saying they are still crying
for justice until now. (From: PDI)
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