Local elections were held in the province of Pangasinan on May 13, 2013, as part of the 2013 Philippine general election. Pangasinan voters will elect a governor, a vice governor, 6 members of the House of Representatives that will represent the 6 congressional districts of the province, and 12 out of 15 members of the Pangasinan Provincial Board. The officials elected will assume their respective offices on June 30, 2013, for a three-year-long term.
Incumbent Governor Amado Espino Jr., who first won the governorship in 2007, secured a third term by defeating incumbent mayor of Alaminos, Hernani Braganza of the Liberal Party by over 550,000 votes.
Background Following his 2010 re-election landslide against former governor Victor Agbayani, Governor Amado Espino Jr. consolidated political authority across Pangasinan, building strong local machinery through the Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC) and securing the backing of a majority of the province's 44 municipal mayors.
In September 2012, Alaminos City mayor Hernani Braganza formally declared his gubernatorial candidacy under the ruling Liberal Party (LP) to challenge Espino, setting up a high-stakes campaign supported by the national administration. The contest created a rift within the prominent Ramos-Shahani political family, as Braganza's cousin, Board Member Ranjit Shahani, publicly broke with the local LP leadership to endorse Espino's re-election bid.
Electoral system Local elections in the Philippines are held every second Monday of May starting in 1992 and every three years thereafter. Single-seat positions such as the governor, vice governor, and House representatives, are elected via first-past-the-post-voting, a voting system where the candidate with the most votes wins, even without a majority. The governor and vice governor are elected by the province at-large, while the House representative and provincial board members are elected per district.
Provincial board elections are done via plurality block voting; Pangsinan is divided into six districts, with each district sending two board members. There are three other ex officio seats: the president of the Philippine Councilors’ League, the president of the Association of Barangay Captains, and the president of the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Provincial Federation.
Campaign Party alliances and candidate strategies
Ahead of the May 2013 midterm elections, the ruling Liberal Party initially sought to consolidate opposition against incumbent governor Amado Espino Jr. by proposing a ticket that paired Alaminos mayor Hernani Braganza with former governor Victor Agbayani as his vice gubernatorial running mate.
The gubernatorial campaign created a rift within prominent political families in the province. Former president Fidel V. Ramos endorsed his nephew, Hernani Braganza, whereas his sister, former senator Leticia Ramos-Shahani, along with her son, 6th district board member Ranjit Shahani, publicly declared their support for Espino's re-election bid.
Defections and local factionalism
In April 2013, a coalition of 17 Liberal Party mayoral candidates in Pangasinan, affiliated with a faction led by Board Member Ranjit Shahani, broke rank with the provincial LP leadership to back Amado Espino Jr. for governor. While breaking from the local slate of Hernani Braganza, the group maintained its endorsement of the administration's national Team PNoy senatorial line-up.
Provincial offices Governor
Espino, who has been serving as the governor of the province since 2007, was challenged by incumbent mayor of Alaminos, Hernani Braganza. Candidates Amado Espino Jr. (NPC), incumbent governor since 2007 Hernani Braganza (Liberal Party), incumbent mayor of Alaminos since 2004
Results
Vice governor
Calimlim, who has been serving as the governor of the province since 2010, was challenged by retired chief of the Philippine National Police, Arturo Lomibao. Candidates Jose Calimlin Jr. (NPC), incumbent vice governor since 2010 Arturo Lomibao (Liberal Party), retired chief of the Philippine National Police
Results
Provincial board
Results + 2013 Pangasinan provincial board electionPartyVotesPercentageSeatsSeat change NPC 684,620 60.94% 9 4 Liberal 318,040 28.31% 3 1 PMP 43,972 3.91% 0 Independents 41,975 3.74% 0 UNA 34,819 3.10% 0 Totals 1,123,426 100.00% 12 —
1st District
2nd District
3rd District
4th District
5th District
6th District
House of Representatives + 2013 Philippine House of Representatives elections in PangasinanPartyVotesPercentageSeatsSeat changeNPC748,03067.98%5 2Liberal309,68328.14%1 1Nacionalista27,1842.47%0Independents15,4661.41%0Totals1,100,363100.00%6—
1st District Jesus Celeste is the incumbent.
Candidates
Jesus Celeste (NPC), incumbent representative since 2007 Leonido Pulido (Liberal Party) Results
2nd District Leopoldo Bataoil is the incumbent. Candidates Leopoldo Bataoil (NPC), incumbent representative since 2010 Kim Lokin (Liberal Party) Results
3rd District Incumbent Maria Rachel Arenas was running unopposed but backed out; her mother, Rose Marie Arenas is her substitute.
Candidates Rose Marie Arenas (Liberal Party)
Results
4th District Gina de Venecia is the incumbent. Candidates Manay Gina De Venecia (NPC), incumbent representative since 2010 Celia Lim (Nacionalista)
Results
5th District Carmen Cojuangco is the incumbent. Candidates Kimi Cojuangco (NPC), incumbent representative since 2010 Demetrio Demetria (Independent) Results
6th District Incumbent Marlyn Primicias-Agabas is running unopposed after her sole opponent, Brigido Gallano (independent), withdrew. Candidates Marlyn Primicias-Agabas (NPC), incumbent representative since 2010 Results
References