By PNA and U.S. News Agency / Asian

In a massive show of force, all the candidates of the first and second districts of Pangasinan took their oath before Governor Amado Espino Jr. and the party chairman, Mark Cojuangco in separate occasions Friday in Lingayen and Alaminos City.

Gov. Espino, noting that 90 percent of the candidates in Pangasinan are with their party, expressed confidence of an overwhelming victory in the May 2012 polls for all Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) bets.

Espino is running for a third and last term of office. In the 2007 polls, he beat his opponent by more than half a million votes, the biggest margin of victory ever registered by a candidate for governor in Pangasinan.

Speaking during the mass oath-taking ceremony of the NPC party candidates in the second district of Pangasinan at the Sison Auditorium in Lingayen, the governor predicted an overwhelming victory of all his candidates come May 2013 election.

The NPC earlier conducted grand slate proclamation and mass oath-taking rites of local leaders in the first district of the province at the Celeste compound in Alaminos City.

NPC provincial chairman Cojuangco who was the inducting office, dubbed the oath-taking ceremonies of the province’s ruling party as “merger of Titans and common interests.”

Also on hand were Vice Governor Ferdinand Z. Calimlim Jr. with First District Representative Jesus Celeste and Second District Representative Leopoldo Bataoil and Board Member Raul Sison for the 2nd district) and Napoleon Fontelera Jr. for the 1st district.

“Lahat ng partido nakita ang mabuting gawain ng nakaraang limang ni Gov. Espino at ginusto ng lahat na ipagpatuloy ang naumpisahang pagbabago,” Cojuangco said.

NPC, according to Cojuangco is traditionally strong in the 5th and 6th districts but this time, the Governor’s group in the Eastern and Central parts has joined the ruling party basically to continue what was started

“Nagsama-sama at nagkaisa po lahat para sa mas lalo pang nakakaganda ng Pangasinan,” he added.

As he asked for solid Pangasinan voice, Cojuangco said: “Magkaisa tayo para iparating sa Malacañang na tayo ay nagkakaisa sa Pangasinan na napili si Gov. Espino at Vice Gov. Calimlim na mamuno sa probinsya”.

Citing that the NPC party has been cooperating with the administration of President Benigno Aquino III and had supported the latter in his election bid in 2010, Coquangco said the NPC members in the House of Representatives have been backing up support for the programs and projects of the present administration.

The NPC members who will vie for the mayoralty and vice mayoralty seats, respectively, in the western Pangasinan are: Jose Paeta and Wilson Rosete (Agno); Aldrin Caido Cerdan and Cecil Cacho Celeste (Anda); Arthur Celeste and Danilo Dizon (Alaminos City); Cothera Gwen Yamamoto and Atty. Filipina Rivera (Bani); Arnold Celeste and Dr. Alfonso Celeste (Bolinao); Dr. Alberto Guiang, Jr. and Engr. Felipe Peralta (Burgos); Noel Nacar and Manuel Rivera (Dasol); Dr. Virgilio Vallarta and Ruperto Martinez (Infanta); Carlitos Reyes and Alimar Briana (Mabini); Roberto Arcinue and Dionisio Caburao Jr. (Sual).

Meanwhile, for the second district, the newly-sworn mayoralty candidates are: Sangguniang Panlalawigan Member Von Mark Mendoza (Lingayen), Mayor Lorenzo Cerezo (Binmaley) Mayor Ricardo Camacho(Labrador), Mayor Eddie Ballesteros (Aguilar), Jumel Anthony I. Espino (Bugallon), Jocelyn Ong Perez (Basista), Manolo Palisoc (Urbiztondo) and Almeda Banaga (Mangatarem) for mayoralty position while Vice mayoralty candidates are: Randall Bernal (Lingayen), Elmer Doria (Bugallon), Jose Carrerra (Binmaley), Rafael Sison (Urbiztondo), Ramil Ventenilla (Mangatarem), Ernesto Acain (Labrador), and Jolly Roque Resuello (Basista).