ASINGAN, Pangasinan, Philippines – If Alaminos City Mayor Hernani Braganza has the support of former President Fidel Ramos, his rival, re-electionist Gov. Amado Espino Jr., enjoys the backing of Ramos’ sister, her son and all three mayoral bets here, the hometown and bailiwick of the Ramoses and the Shahanis.
This, as former senator Leticia Ramos-Shahani, her son, re-electionist sixth district board member Ranjit Ramos-Shahani, and the three mayoral rivals – Mayor Heidee Chua and Vice Mayor Eleanor Viray, both independent candidates, and Benny Robeniol of the Liberal Party – have thrown their all-out support behind Espino.
The pledge of support happened last Sunday, just as the Braganza-Ramos-Agsalud clan held its reunion where the former president publicly gave his support for Braganza.
The Shahanis and the three mayoral bets had a ceremonial joining of hands as a sign of unity in a picture given to newsmen.
Last March 21, a similar show of unity for Espino’s re-election bid took place in Alaminos, Braganza’s turf, among mayoral rivals Arthur Celeste of the Nationalist People’s Coalition, Cesar Manzano of the United Nationalist Alliance, and Teofilo Humilde Jr. of the PDP-Centrist Democratic Party of the Philippines.
Local LP stalwarts said they are bent on expelling Ranjit Shahani for his disloyalty to the party.
Earlier, a news report quoted the board member as claiming that 13 LP mayoral candidates in the province had signed a covenant of support for Espino.
This prompted Braganza to call for an emergency meeting, and a statement was later issued that five mayoral bets, mostly from western Pangasinan, had affirmed their loyalty to him.
However, Shahani said those who originally signed the covenant of support for Espino had just reaffirmed their earlier commitment.
Asingan is one of the towns in Pangasinan’s sixth district which Shahani, a former congressman and vice governor, represents in the provincial board.