CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – The Liberal Party’s endeavor to become the ruling party for the 2016 presidential elections is going to be a much longer and harder journey, as far as Central and Northern Luzon are concerned.
The party could not muster support from provinces where it invested resources on congressional and gubernatorial candidates, as shown by the outcome of the May 13 midterm elections in the northern regions.
Of 22 Northern and Central Luzon gubernatorial posts, LP won only five – three of these in the remote upland provinces of Kalinga, Abra and Apayao in the Cordillera.
Of 46 North and Central Luzon representatives elected to Congress, only 17 are LP members representing the party’s legislative network from this corner of the country for the next three years.
The party’s gubernatorial network is now composed of re-elected Governors Junie Cua (Quirino), Eustaquio Bersamin (Abra), Elias Bulut Jr. (Apayao), Jocel Baac (Kalinga) and Aurelio Umali (Nueva Ecija).
In Congress, LP measures are expected to have the support of the following party members: Representatives Dina Abad (Batanes), Eric Singson (Ilocos Sur), Rosemarie Arenas (Pangasinan), Dax Cua (Quirino), Herminia Roman (Bataan), Arthur Robes (San Jose del Monte, Bulacan), Jonjon Mendoza (Bulacan), and Linabelle Ruth Villarica (Bulacan).
Also supporting the party agenda are Representatives Joseph Violago (Nueva Ecija), Cherry Umali (Nueva Ecija), Oscar Rodriguez (Pampanga), Cheryl Deloso-Montalla (Zambales), Ma. Jocelyn Bernos (Abra), Ronald Cosalan (Benguet), Teodoro Baguilat Jr. (Ifugao), Manuel Agyao (Kalinga) and Maximo Dalog (Mountain Province).
Some of the gubernatorial races did not have LP candidates. For example, Ilocos Norte was a Marcos family affair because LP did not challenge reelected Gov. Imee Marcos, a Nacionalista Party candidate, who ran unopposed, alongside reelected Ilocos Norte Rep. Rudy Fariñas (NP). The lone Kilusang Bagong Lipunan candidate, reelected Ilocos Norte Rep. Imelda Marcos won against two rivals.
In Pangasinan, the provincial canvass report showed that 1,258,140 of Pangasinan’s 1,552,979 registered voters cast their votes in Monday’s elections, posting a turnout of 81 percent.
Dagupan City’s 98,835 registered voters were not included in the provincial total because the city is an independent component city and does not vote for governor.
In the final tally, reelected Gov. Amado Espino Jr., who ran under the Nationalist People’s Coalition, obtained 851,760 votes while his opponent, Alaminos City Mayor Hernani Braganza of LP, received 297,409 votes.
Bulacan posted a turnout of 80.47 percent (1,293,945) of the 1,479,756 registered voters, according to the Comelec.