From Pampanga’s capitol to capital, Pinedas expand reach

Pampanga’s political kingpin Rodolfo “Bong” Pineda and his daughter, Mylyn, together with her husband Archen, transferred their voter registration from Lubao town to the provincial capital City of San Fernando before noon on Tuesday, April 16, at the office of the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

The buzz is, election season has begun.

The transfer happened a day after Mylyn tendered her resignation as board member of the 2nd Provincial District. Her resignation was addressed to her mother, Lilia “Nanay” Pineda, who, as vice governor, presides the provincial board. Mylyn was serving her second term.

The local media reported that 23 of the 35 barangay captains of San Fernando accompanied the Pinedas to the Comelec, leading to speculations that the former district board member might run for mayor.

Political observers also raise the possibility that it is the Pineda patriarch who will run for mayor, while Mylyn will run for the congressional seat.

The Pinedas of Pampanga are occupying the highest seats in the province. Bong’s only son Dennis, nicknamed Delta, is Pampanga’s governor. Bong’s wife, Lilia, is the vice governor. Their other daughter Esmie is mayor of Lubao, their hometown.

Bong entertained a couple of short interviews with the local media on April 16 which were uploaded on Facebook. He commented on the current city administration, and made references to his voting influence.

The mayor of San Fernando, Vilma Caluag, is serving her first term. 

“Alam mo, gusto ko talagang bumoto rito para mapasunod ko rin ‘yung ibang gusto kong mangyari dito, di ba? Kasi dito sa pangkasalukuyan, eh ‘yung mga ibang bumoto dito sa administrasyon na ‘to, parang hindi tumama. Parang lang, ha? Kung sakaling boboto ako rito at boboto talaga ako rito, baka mayaya ko sila sa tamang pagboto,” said Bong.

(You know, I really want to vote here so I can make things happen, right? Because it looks to me like voters here made a mistake in electing the current administration. Well, at least in my opinion. So in case I get to vote here – and I’m going to vote here – I might be able to convince them to vote for the right candidates.)

“Alam mo, ang mangarap ng mabuti napakaganda eh. Siyempre malinis ang pangarap natin. Nakikita mo ‘yung Lubao kahit papaano napaganda natin, di ba? ‘Yung kapitolyo maganda rin,” he also said.

(You know, it’s good to have a vision. We have good intentions. You’ve seen how we’ve improved Lubao somehow. We’ve run capitol well too.)

The Sangguniang Panlalawigan accepted Mylyn’s resignation during its regular session through Resolution No. 8512. 

Together with the Vice Governor, the 10 provincial district board members namely – Krizzanel Garbo, Rolando Balingit, Olga Frances Dizon, Sajid Khan Eusoof, Lucky Ferdinand Labung, Ananias Canlas Jr., Nelson Calara, Benjamin Jocson, Cherry Manalo, Claire Lim, and John Carlo Cruz – were present during the session.

3rd Provincial District Board Member Alyssa Michaela Gonzales was absent. Michaela is the daughter of House Senior Deputy Speaker and 3rd District Representative Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales.

Word has gone around too that the Gonzaleses and the Pinedas may now be political rivals as Mylyn could also be eyeing the congressional seat for 3rd District against Michaela or the mayoral race against Deputy Speaker Gonzales, who is serving his last term.

The 3rd District of Pampanga includes the provincial capital City of San Fernando and the municipalities of Arayat, Bacolor, Mexico, and Santa Ana. – Rappler.com