SAN CARLOS CITY, Pangasinan – Lawyer Gallant D. ‘Gal’ Soriano has formally declared his plan to run for the congressional seat in the Third District of Pangasinan, stressing his experience in government and training as a lawyer makes him the most qualified among the candidates for the post.

A scion of the famous Soriano clan of Pangasinan that has produced top governemtn and elected officials, Gal Soriano is currently the Deputy Commissioner of the Bureau of Customs for Revenue Collection and Monitoring.

Gal’s entry in the congressional race adds his name to a list that already includes Rachel Arenas, daughter of socialite Rosemarie ‘Baby’ Arenas, Juan Tulagan, the son of incumbent Congressman Generoso Tulagan and Bayambang Mayor Leo de Vera.

“I offer myself as a candidate for congressman in the Third District fully confident I meet the qualifications that our voters have set for themselves as far as their Representative in Congress is concerned,” Soriano declared at the media forum at Masarap Grill sponsored by the Pangasinan Tri-Media Association (Patrima).

He said his priority when elected as congressman is to pursue programs that would address the problems of unemployment, high prices, subsidized education and agricultural modernization in Pangasinan.

“We need to be more decisive and creative in solving the problems that continue to bedevil our society and our people,” Soriano said.

He said these concerns include the need for more jobs for the residents of the Third District, the rising cost of hospitalization, education for the youth and the increased competition that farmers in the district and the province face because of the onse of globalization.

“Para sa ating mga anak, at ang mga magiging anak nila, at sa mga susunod pa na mga henerasyon, kailangang maging mas masipag pa ang susunod na mga lider ng Pangasinan para mabigyan ng solusyon ang mga pang-araw araw na problema ng ating mga kababayan,” Soriano declared.

He praised Pangasinan Gov. Victor Agbayani for the rapid development of the province under his incumbency, and vowed to continue to support the Governor’s plans when he wins the election and sits in Congress.

“We need unity more than ever and our choices in May will spell the difference if our province will move forward or backward socially and economically,” the BoC official stressed.

Soriano has been quietly securing the support of local officials and voters in the district for his candidacy. Pangasinan Gov. Victor Agbayani swore him in as member of the ruling Lakas-CMD last week in preparation for his candidacy.

Record-wise, Gal Soriano enjoys a tremendous edge. Aside from being a lawyer and economist, Gal acquired two master’s degrees that gave him expertise in the fields of business and national security management. These are educational trainings that his supporters believe should be tapped to push the industrialization of the Third District of Pangasinan.

“The Third District is blessed by God to have vast tracts of land, abundant natural resources and hardworking and God-fearing people,” one of Gal’s supporters among the district’s more than 300 barangay chairs said. “It is only natural that it becomes the region’s center for economic boom with a new leadership.”