Now that the elections are over and the counting has started, I can make my fearless forecasts in hotly contested areas where my friends are running.
Incumbent Lilia “Baby” Pineda will win by a wide margin over her rival, Ed Panlilio, a former priest, in Pampanga’s gubernatorial race.
Despite accusations that he was involved in a murder—or because of those accusations—Pangasinan Gov. Amado Espino will defeat challenger Hernani Braganza, mayor of Alaminos City.
In Manila, former President Joseph Estrada will trounce incumbent Mayor Fred Lim.
* * *
Pineda, whose husband is alleged “jueteng” lord Bong Pineda, has done more for Pampanga than all her predecessors combined.
She has focused her attention on peace and order, and health.
Pampanga has one of the lowest crime rates in the country because of maximum police presence.
Policemen patrol the width and breadth of the province on sedans and wagons provided by the provincial government.
Hospital pharmacies are bursting at the seams with medicines. Hospital beds and linen are clean. So are the hospital toilets.
Every day, she attends to the sick through medical missions funded from her own pocket.
In times of calamities like floods, Pineda’s presence in calamity areas reassured her constituents that everything was all right.
If this lady could help other calamity victims who are not her constituents—such as the Typhoon “Reming” victims in Bicol a couple of years ago—more so will she help her own people.
When Panlilio was governor, he never did the things mentioned above.
He left everything to God who probably thought the priest was asking too much of Him.
* * *
In Pangasinan, people don’t believe that Espino would order the killing of Mayor Ruperto Martinez of Infanta town on Dec. 15, 2012.
Voters know that muckraking is part of dirty politics which rears its ugly head before and during the campaign season.
The supposed witness, a 16-year-old boy, was said to have overheard Espino tell Zambales Gov. Jun Ebdane about the plot to kill Martinez.
Although both Espino and Ebdane are graduates of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA), they are not on speaking terms. They hate each other’s guts.
And most people in Pangasinan know that.
Like Pineda in Pampanga, Espino has done more for Pangasinan what his predecessors did.
* * *
In Manila, Erap’s popularity with the masses still holds, at the expense of Mayor Lim.
The masa believe Erap’s claim that the elite members of society sent him to jail on trumped up charges.
True or not, who can argue with the masses?
* * *
If you didn’t read my column last Saturday, that was because I was busy campaigning for Ted Contacto, a dear friend, who’s running for congressman in Albay’s first district.
Contacto, a lawyer and certified public accountant, is up against Edcel Lagman Jr., son of Edcel Sr. whose term as congressman has expired, and Board Member Richard Ziga.
Contacto, who lacks money, is running on a platform of antidynasty and anticorruption.
One of his opponents was featured in a TV show which alleged he hired “ghost” employees when he was a Quezon City councilor.