Tatay's Chosen: 'Chopper politics' trends in Pampanga

 

                                    Pineda helicopters about to make political runs

A SKY-BORNE political dispensation has lately become the most fervent wish of wannabes for the local elections next year. Coming as it is with the blessing – read: support material, moral, indeed, paternal if not Providential – of Pampanga’s foremost businessman-philanthropist Rodolfo “Tatay Bong” Pineda, patriarch of the province’s first family that includes the governor, vice-governor, recently-resigned board member, and Lubao town mayor.

It all started in early July when a helicopter was dispatched to fetch Mabalacat City Vice Mayor Atty. Geld Aquino from the very vicinity of city hall and flown to Pradera Verde, the Pineda’s sprawling resort-leisure-sports complex in Lubao, for a meeting with “Tatay Bong,” videos and photos of which were subsequently splashed in social media.

                                               VM Geld Aquino

Aquino has since been fetched at least twice more from the city hall area, an in-your-face affront of incumbent Mayor Crisostomo Garbo’s falling from the graces of the political kingpin who is largely credited for Garbo’s assumption to the city mayoralty in 2017 through a Commission on Elections resolution, unseating 2016 election winner Mayor Marino “Boking” Morales for exceeding the three-term limit, and therefore his qualification to run void ab initio.

                                 Ex-VM Christian Halili and VM Aquino with Tatay Bong

Incumbent city councilors and other political leaders including former Vice Mayor Christian Halili have also been called to meetings with Tatay Bong and Aquino at the Royce Hotel in Clark Freeport, further impacting the displeasure of the former to his once beneficiary, at the same time cementing Aquino’s status as his niño bonito.

The Pineda helicopter next landed in Arayat town, taking incumbent Mayor Maria Lourdes “Madir” Alejandrino, along with former Vice Mayor Sixto “Pogi” Mallari, to their own Pradera rendezvous with the patriarch. 

           Ex-VM Pogi Mallari and Mayor Madir Alejandrino prepare to board chopper

 A “destiny of unity” for Arayat, one FB post dubbed the prospective partnership of Alejandrino and Mallari, given that Pogi bested Madir in the vice mayoralty contest in 2019 with the latter turning the tables on the former in the mayoralty race in 2022.

As in Mabalacat City, more chopper trips between Arayat and Pradera have since been logged.

This month, it was the turn of former Porac councilor and provincial board member Mike Tapang to answer the summons by helicopter.

 

                                    Ex-BM Mike Tapang welcomes Tatay Bong

Instead of the prospective candidate airlifted to Pradera though, it was Tatay Bong that descended on Porac ground. Enthusiastically meeting him were over a hundred once-and-future town officials led by former three-term Mayor Condralito de la Cruz and former Vice Mayor Dexter David.

            Tatay Bong with former Porac officials

“Atin TAPANG Pag-asa,” a play on Tapang’s surname as harbinger of hope for Porac, sounded the 2025 campaign slogan. Social media posts of the meeting bore hashtags like “Tatay lang ang sakalam,” the Tagalog palindrome for the political power that Pineda wielded.

Unposted in social media as yet but already confirmed as having taken the helicopter ride to Pradera is incumbent San Simon Vice Mayor Romanoel “Dading” Santos.

The frequency of the suspension from office of Mayor Abundio “JP” Punsalan from both the Office of the Ombudsman and the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Pampanga presided by Vice Gov. Lilia “Nanay” Pineda is viewed here to have become untenable to the Pinedas who have made good governance the very signature of their public lives.

Meanwhile, where the Pineda helicopter land next has become a guessing game of the moment in Pampanga, wannabes keeping their fingers crossed, the public on its toes. Photos grabbed from different FB pages

(Banner story Punto! Aug. 26-31, 2024 issue)