By YOLLY Z. SOTELO

IT’S still a male-dominated world of politics in Pangasinan, where just about 15 percent of the total number of candidates from governor to councilors are contesting the political seats.

Records of the Commission on Elections showed that there are about 1,254 candidates for the different local positions, with 1,063 comprising the males and only 191 comprising the females.

At least 107 candidates are vying for the 44 town and four city mayor seats in the province. But of the total, only eight are females, with two of them running unopposed — Kimi Cojuangco for Sison and Mayor Vivien Villar for Sto. Tomas.

There are also 108 candidates for vice mayors, but there are 14 females running for the positions.

Of the six gubernatorial bets, five are males and only one is a female – Jamie Eloise Agbayani. She is up against second district Rep. Amado Espino Jr, Vice Governor Oscar Lambino and three others.
In an earlier interview, Agbayani said that it must not be the gender of a political candidate that should be taken in account during elections but his or her leadership potential.

Only the vice gubernatorial position is a 50-50 chance between the male and female as there is one female candidate for the vice governor seat, Provincial Board Member Marlyn Primicias, against only one male candidate – Provincial Board Member Dionisio Villar.

For the congressional seats, 13 filed their candidacies, two of them women – Rachel Arenas of the third district and Ma. Blanca Kim Lokin of the second district.

Only five females are contesting for the 12 provincial board member seats as against 20 males who filed for the positions. They are Urdaneta City Vice Mayor Charizzma Carancho of the 5th district;
Evangeline Dorao of the 6 th district; Alicia Pulido of the first district, Geraldine Baniqued of the 4th district and Jennelyn Villamar of the 3rd district.
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Illegal fishing may be on the wane in Alaminos City, but it still has to get rid of another vicious problem– theft of fish caught in fish traps by fishermen.

Supt. Rogelio Danoli, city police chief, said the residents of Pangapisan and Mona villages who operate fish traps locally known as “pasabing” and “skylab,” have been complaining that thieves usually do their business from 10 pm to 1 am, and that the traps are already empty when they arrive to harvest at around four in the morning.

The police conducted an operation in the area on Saturday night and stumbled upon a group of thieves but they were able to flee, leaving behind their two motorized bancas, 55 kilos of assorted fishes, a .38 revolver and ammunitions, fish nets and other equipment.

Danoli said he had assigned two personnel in the affected areas and had conducted dialogues with the victims to find ways to solve the problem.

“I was told that the fish theft has been going on for years. The victims are afraid to guard their traps because the suspects are armed,” he said.

Two most wanted thieves have been apprehended. One of them is Eduardo dela Cruz who is a subject of a warrant of arrest for fish trap robbery and illegal fishing cases. Another suspect, Juanito Malanum, was apprehended by the Alaminos police in San Esteban, Ilocos Sur.

“They are suspected of being leaders of the fish trap thieves,” Danoli said, adding that the burglary of fish in fish traps has somewhat diminished because of police operations. (http://myworld.prepys.com )