By DANNY O. SAGUN

MANY Pangasinan mediamen trooped to the People’s Astrodome Thursday morning expecting former PNP chief and now NIA administrator Art Lomibao to show up for a meeting with the various irrigators’ associations in the province. They were dismayed to find out though that a basketball game was going on.

We have yet to attend an activity with a retired Lomibao as guest so that we really do not know how he fares PR-wise. But the fact that he can attract so many reporters even without formal invitations tells something about his PR strategies.

We don’t need to mention here the names of politicos who can in an instant “summon” newsmen, and on the other side, those who can hardly get media’s attention. But we have to stress here also that there are principled members of the media who cannot just be blinded by the color of money. A great chasm separates such from the others who are only after envelopes in presscons or coverages.

Lomibao is said to be testing the waters for his political ambitions as shown by his unusual visibility in and around the province soon after retirement. One of his gimmicks apparently to obtain a name recall among the electorate was the putting up of Libreng Tawag overseas call centers in selected towns using the hi-tech voice over Internet protocol (Voip). Posters advertising such call centers have his face plastered all over just like campaign posters. We doubt if that gimmick will work though come election time.

While he is a political neophyte, his possible opponents have been in the political game for long.

Gov. Victor Agbayani’s wife, Dra. Jamie, for one, has been making her presence felt all these years thru the provincial government’s medical missions and to the envy of the others, she gets enough mileage without spending her personal money. With her carrying the famous Agbayani tag, she must be steps ahead of her rivals although some doubt if the Agbayani magic would rub on her.

Vice-Gov. Oscar B. Lambino, who patiently settled for the number two post until Victor finishes his three terms, is also ripe for his gubernatorial aspiration. Many observers consider him a good material for governor with his long experience in public service having served as three-termer mayor of Malasiqui (not counting his OIC days) before he became vice-governor. He has a good grasp of effective governance and he can work with both sides of the political fence. But does he have enough resources to catapult him to the highest provincial post? His perceived opponents are said to have fully-loaded arsenals.

If second district Rep. Amado Espino does not seek re-election and instead try his luck in the gubernatorial derby, he would pose a big threat to the other contenders. He was said to have prepared himself for a full-scale war and if his rivals don’t watch out, chances are he might stage an upset win over his more popular or moneyed rivals. His problem though is how to sell himself among the electorate in the other five equally big legislative districts.

Sixth district Congressman Conrad Estrella cannot be discounted having a built- in edge for being a namesake of his grandfather, a former governor and assemblyman. He has for quite a time been making rounds too all over the province, with supporters whom he can count on in crucial times. His alleged poor performance in Congress (he had enough time to prove himself having been there for long) however gets in the way as he cannot easily erase that negative tag on him in the minds of the electorate during the campaign period

Another congressman, Marcos Cojuangco of the fifth district, was long rumored to be interested in capturing Urduja house thus raising concern (read fear) that a stranger from Tarlac or from faraway Negros would reign over us. He enjoys an advantage over his rivals with his vast resources but we think he could not risk depleting his arsenal just to capture Urduja. The other contenders may not be as blessed materially as he is but they can make their built-in popularity and resourcefulness to their advantage. Remember how Victor pulled the trick on Sen. Letty Shahani in 1998 and made a repeat on former Congressman Teddy Cruz in the last elections.

Lomibao could be making a political noise now but he may just content himself staying at the national helm once he realizes that the odds are stacked against him.

Our gut feeling is that the Agbayanis would not simply give up Urduja. The family is consolidating its forces to project the gubernatorial bid of Jamie and ensure her victory. But if the chances are low (we heard they are undertaking surveys), Jamie may slide down to the number two post, particularly if Espino decides to run for governor, a trade-off that leaves the door wide open for Victor to aspire for Espino’s legislative seat.

We think also that Jamie, to ensure victory for the family, may just forget her own aspiration and concentrate on the campaign of her husband as the family learned its lesson in the last elections for fielding three candidates at the same time and saw the debacle of Luis and Victoria in their respective bids.

A Espino seeking re-election as congressman would pit Jamie in a face-off with Lambino, a one-to-one blockbuster fight. We are not at this time considering Estrella, Cojuangco and even Lomibao (despite the seeming noise about him,) serious in their respective bids.

But we know how fragile the political situation is so that all these projections could change in an instant.

And to think that the Arroyo administration is (still) not preparing for next year’s polls but is so pre-occupied on efforts to change the Constitution.