Barely a week after Poe embarked on a campaign tour of the province, Mrs. Arroyo declared here
yesterday she is a daughter of Pangasinan, but spoke in Ilocano dialect before a crowd of mostly Ilocano speaking supporters.
"Siak, agsau ak ti Ilocano, agsau ak ti Pangasinan (I speak Pangasinan, I speak Ilocano). I am a genuine Pangasinense," she said.
Mrs. Arroyo proved herself fluent in both dialects as she spoke in "Pangalatok" (Pangasinan dialect) before a crowd of supporters in Manaoag town which is considered among the Pangasinan-speaking region in the province.
Mrs. Arroyo, who is seeking a full six-year term in the May 10 elections, claimed she is a real Pangasinense since her grandmother hailed from Barangay Guelew, San Carlos City.
Her mother, the late First Lady Evangelina Macaraeg-Macapagal, also hailed from this town. Every year, since she was a senator, Mrs. Arroyo would see to it that she joined the people in this town in their fiesta celebrations, as it was yesterday.
Poe, her strongest opponent in the presidential race, also declared himself to be a native of the province by pointing out his late father, Allan Fernando Poe Sr., hailed from Barangay Caoayan Kiling in San Carlos City.
Poe and the entire slate of the opposition Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP) came to Pangasinan last Sunday to campaign and where they also got a warm welcome.
"Inaro ko kayon amen (I love you all)," Poe earlier spoke in Pangasinan dialect before a huge crowd in San Carlos City.
Mrs. Arroyo challenged yesterday Poe to speak in Pangalatok to prove his being a Pangasinense.
"Dun sa nagsasabing taga-Pangasinan (those who say he is from Pangasinan), he should speak Pangasinense and for those who said he’s Ilocano, he should speak Ilocano," she said.
The President took potshots at her other rivals in the presidential race in their effort to win Pangasinan by claiming their bloodlines stemmed from the province.
Pangasinan is considered a bailiwick of Mrs. Arroyo where she gathered one of the biggest votes from the province when she ran as senator and vice president.
Though both presidential candidates had their share of a big crowd of supporters, Mrs. Arroyo had the edge in enjoying the support of local leaders led by Gov. Victor Agbayani.
Other political leaders who accompanied Mrs. Arroyo and the entire K-4 administration slate included Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. and congressmen Conrado Estrella and Mark Cojuangco, both representing the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) in the province with mayors led by Binalonan town Mayor Ramon Guico, who is also the president of the League of Municipalities and a cousin of Mrs. Arroyo.
As much as 80 percent of the mayors in the province belong to Biskeg na Pangasinan (Strength of Pangasinan), a group founded by Sto. Tomas Mayor Antonio Villar Jr.
Bigkeg members also showed up in numbers to support Mrs. Arroyo but were conspicuously absent when Poe earlier made his campaign sorties in the province.
But the famous son of Pangasinan, former President Fidel Ramos, was also absent during Mrs. Arroyo’s campaign.
Campaign spokesman Michael Defensor said Ramos was not able to attend the rally, citing "dental surgery."
"But he (Ramos) would join us in our next campaign sortie here a month from now," he said.
Defensor quickly sought to dispel speculations that Ramos’ absence indicated the strong political alliance of her elder sister, former senator Leticia Ramos-Shahani, with Poe.
Shahani, whose son Ranjit is seeking re-election in his congressional district in the province, supported Poe after quitting from her post as one of the advisers of Mrs. Arroyo.
Ramos, president-emeritus of administration Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas), earlier disassociated himself from his sister in saying she is "Shahani and not a Ramos."
"Mr. Ramos is really 100 percent support for Lakas, he is in the advisory council of the President and they continue to support her," Defensor said.
"This parting of ways perhaps is but natural I think. But what is important is all her allies and supporters are all helping her," Defensor said.
Defensor claimed Mrs. Arroyo got a larger crowd than Poe’s. "The Manaoag mayor told us, the crowd which received President Arroyo here was ten times as big because of their big recognition of the President who speaks their language and for a fact, they knew she comes from their province. So it was very warm reception she got here," he said.
In her campaign speeches, Mrs. Arroyo told the crowd of her hopes that her province mates will help convince others of her experience and ability to turn around the problems of the country.
Mrs. Arroyo said she has created three million jobs in her three years of presidency compared to the term of deposed President Joseph Estrada which she claimed was able to generate only a half million jobs.
"Ngunit downpayment pa lamang yan kasi ang minana natin na walang trabaho ay mahigit apat na milyon (But that’s just a downpayment because we inherited more than four million jobless Filipinos)," she said.
Speaking in Pangasinan and Ilocano dialects, Mrs. Arroyo later told a crowd in Manaoag that it was in the town where she kicked off their campaign in 1998 when she was running for vice president with De Venecia as presidential bet.
Mrs. Arroyo said she decided to go back to the town since it is "very special to her heart because the Virgin of Manaoag gave her the strength to fight the problems besetting the country." -With Marichu Villanueva, Cesar Ramirez