Pangasinan LP leader threatens to resign over Gov. Espino

By Liezle BasaInigo

DAGUPAN CITY, Pangasinan — Bugallon Vice Mayor Rodrigo Orduña, one of the leaders of the Liberal Party (LP) leader in Pangasinan, threatened to resign from the party if Governor Amado T. Espino, Jr. will seek an elective post under the LP banner.

Espino, along with his sons who are running for local posts in next year’s elections, has already announced their joining the LP.

However, Orduña said that if the LP shall continue pursuing its “daangmatuwid” (straight path) political advocacy in the province, the party has “no room for Gov. Espino.”

“Hindi pa nagkakaroon ng miting sa grupong LP chapter na pinamunuan ni dating gob Victor Agbayani at wala kami alam na may ganyan na pumapasok sa LP sigov (There has yet to be a meeting of the LP Chapter headed by former [Pangasinan] Gov. Victor Agabayani and we had no inkling of that governor (Espino) joining the LP),” said the vice mayor.

Orduña recalled that he had filed the plunder case against Espino in 2012 before the Office of the Ombudsman (OMB), alleging that he personally delivered P2.5 million in cash to the governor every Saturday as “jueteng” protection money.

“The Liberal Party should consider the case against Espino,” Orduna said. “This runs counter to our principle of daang matuwid.”