In Pangasinan, Espinos protest poll shutout

Amado Espino Jr. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan, Philippines — Former Pangasinan Gov. Amado Espino Jr. has warned his family’s political rivals of an electoral protest after his sons lost in their reelection bids.

Espino’s son, reelectionist Gov. Amado Espino III, lost to Rep. Ramon Guico III (Fifth District) while the governor’s brother, reelectionist Rep. Jumel Espino (Second District) lost to former Rep. Mark Cojuangco (Fifth District), both by almost 200,000 votes. It was Espino III’s first defeat in his 20-year political career.

The Espinos belong to the local party, Abante Pangasinan Ilokano (API), headed by Espino Jr.Guico and Cojuangco ran under Team Aguila, a group of political stalwarts in Pangasinan that includes Bayambang Mayor Cezar Quiambao, the lead convener, and former Rep. Arthur Celeste (first district) and the party list Abono.

API’s vice gubernatorial candidate, Board Member Nestor “Nikiboy” Reyes, also lost to reelectionist Vice Gov. Mark Lambino, Guico’s running mate.

But the winning candidates, who were already proclaimed on Wednesday morning, belied all the accusations, saying it was “team effort, hard work, unsullied reputations,” and being able to campaign in the 1,200 villages of the province that helped them win the elections.

‘Fatigue’

At a press briefing on Wednesday, Quiambao cited the so-called Espino fatigue that made voters decide to switch and choose them.

Guico noted that some API candidates won in the elections. “The same ballots, the same machines were used, so how can they claim there was cheating (on our part)?” he said.

Quiambao also said Cojuangco’s candidacy in the second congressional district “filled the vacuum” for their team, as they did not have someone to field in the district before the filing of candidacies.

At a press briefing on Tuesday, API secretary-general Nelson Gayo said the results of the election for the top positions were “unbelievable as there were persistent complaints of VCM (vote-counting machine) manipulations.”

He cited the case in Bayambang town where none of their candidates—from president down to councilors—won in 15 barangays.

Espino Jr., who represented his sons at the press briefing, said they could not have lost in the town because it was “our bailiwick.”

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