Central Pangasinan Politics: Agbayani wants to be governor again

I'm in Pangasinan right now, at the Western side. I'm supposed to go here yesterday (Saturday), but because of some meteorologists' suggestions, I deferred it. And since the weather today is pretty good, I decided to leave Manila.

Lingayen is the province of my mate and it is the capital of the province. It is pretty much intact, I must say, no signs of any devastation caused by Pepeng. The capitolyo is wonderful. The buildings are newly painted, the provincial capitol is full of lights, particularly the capitol square.

I did not see the Lingayen gulf, since I arrived early evening. The town itself is bustling with new businesses. People are beginning to see the benefits of having their own businesses, instead of relying on regular jobs. I see new salons, new restaurants and several have built their own internet cafes and ihawans.

Lingayen is pretty boring at night. No nightclubs or discos. And no cinemas.

I did not see any houses destroyed by the typhoon although I heard that several fish pens were damaged. I know that several of these big fisheries are owned by Concepcion and several politicians.

There is news that former governor Victor Agbayani wants to get his old post back. It seems though that Governor Amado Espino wants to give him a nice fight.

Esperon, some people heard, will also try his luck in politics in 2010. Yet, the one getting a lot of attention is former PNP chief Art Lomibao, who, some say, wants to run for Congress. Former PNP spokesperson Art Bataoil is also being urged by some groups to run for an elective post.

And since Agbayani wants a comeback,  that issue of severe flooding in the province is getting on the nerves of Governor Espino. Many Pangasinense are blaming him for that, since he allegedly did not do his job of informing the citizens about the release of waters from the San Roque and Agno dams. This is getting to be a very hot election issue in Pangasinan and some say, this will make or break, Governor Espino's chances of another term.