Anti-smuggling chief hands out cash gifts to poll winners

STO. TOMAS, Pangasinan – A barangay captain and eight barangay councilmen here received cash prizes for garnering more than 70 percent of the total votes in their villages during the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections held last Oct. 29.

La Luna barangay captain Ronald Martinez was the envy of his fellow village officials as he received yesterday his P50,000 cash incentive. Martinez got more than 2,000 votes during the elections.

Meanwhile, barangay councilmen Homero Lardizabal, Villamor Moreno, Tolentino Rabara, Elpidio Pastor Jr., Minerva Lagasca, Danilo Bernardino Jr., Luis Taguinod and Amadito Arciaga received P10,000 each.

The prizes came from Undersecretary Antonio Villar Jr., head of the Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group (PASG), who was the mayor in this town for more than 20 years.

The prizes were awarded during the oath-taking of the newly elected barangay and SK officials held at the town gymnasium.

Prior to the elections, Villar promised his townmates that whoever gets 70 percent of the total votes in his barangay will receive a cash gift from him.

“We are really grateful to Sir because he means what he says,” Martinez said of Villar, adding that he will use the money for barangay projects.

Villar said the unparalleled unity of his townmates, especially during political exercises, has become their trademark in the province’s and even the country’s political history.