Old, new faces vie in North, Central Luzon political ring
>> Saturday, October 24, 2015
Marcoses, Enriles, Ortegas, others file COCs
Old and
new faces, the hardened and neophytes in Northern and Central Luzon cast their
lot in the political ring by filing their certificates of candidacy with the
Commission on Elections last week.
Baguio City
In
Baguio City, Congressman Nick Aliping will have Isabelo “Poppo” Cosalan for
vice mayor with newsman colleague Arthur Alladiw, incumbent councilors Joel
Alangsab, and Leandro Yangot; engineer Jun Orca, Jojo Cabato, lawyer Ron Perez,
environmentalist Fred Fangonon, businessman and civic leader Rudy Paraan and
businesswoman MyleneYaranon.
Under
the Timpuyog ti Baguio, the slate includes former congressman Bernardo Vergara
for the same position, incumbent mayor Mauricio Domogan for re-election,
councilors Lourdes Tabanda, Bobby Ortega, Elmer Datuin, Elaine Sembrano,
lawyer Benny Bomogao, former councilors Bong Mandapat and ErdolfoBalajadia; and
newcomers Lawyer Orate and Lilia Farinas. Councilor Fred Bagbagen is also
running for vice mayor.
The
other unofficial LP slate as of press time includes businessman Mark Go for
congressman, former councilor and Indigenous Peoples rights lawyer Jose
Molintas for mayor, incumbent vice mayor Ed Bilog for the same position, and
incumbent councilor lawyer Tino Olowan for councilor.
Retired
RTC Judge Del Claravall and incumbent councilor lawyer Peter Fianza are running
as independent favorites for mayor and councilor, respectively, while incumbent
councilor Richard Carino who is on his last term is gunning for a party-list
seat for congress. We have yet to find out more about them.
Benguet
In
Benguet, it will be an interesting race between incumbent Congressman Ronald M.
Cosalan and Governor Nestor B. Fongwan who finished his last three-year term.
Both are outstanding performers as public officials of Benguet.
But
observers said it is better for Benguet for the former to be allowed to finish
his third and last three-year term as congressman so that he will continue the
excellent job he has been doing on socio-economic programs and infrastructure.
If so, there is a big chance Cosalan will retain his chairmanship of the vital
public works committee in congress.
Cosalan
who is the Liberal Party head will have incumbent Benguet Vice Governor Nelson
C. Dangwa for governor with board member Florence Tingbaoen of Mankayan as the
party’s vice gubernatorial bet.
Under
them, Amor Moresto from Bokod and Kabayan will take a second run for a seat in
the provincial board representing District 01. Pandong Balaodan of Bakun and
Zee Radio is supporting the LP in Benguet and will run for a seat in the
provincial board representing District 2.
The
other unofficial bets in Benguet are for Governor at press time were– Board
Member Jack Dulnuan, former vice governor Crescencio C. Pacalso and Itogon
mayor Oca Camantiles. For vice governor, the unofficial list includes board
member Concepcion Balao, Kabayan Mayor Faustino Aquisan, Tuba Mayor Florencio
Bentres and former board member-lawyer Coy Nazarro.
In
La Trinidad,Benguet, incumbent mayor Edna C. Tabanda will be challenged by vice
mayor Romy Salda and former mayor-lawyer Greg Abalos Jr. An unofficial list of
bets for councilors under Salda’s slate include incumbent councilors Estrella
B. Adeban, Roderick C. Awingan, Renato B. Tereng,businessman Nestor “Bobot”
Fongwan Jr., and newsman Jimmy Laking.
Mountain Province incumbents
unopposed
In
Mt. Province, incumbent Rep. Maximo Dalog, who is on his last term and Gov.
Leonard Mayaenare running unopposed for the same positions.
“I would like all constituents and persons
of Mountain Province to have fair and equal treatment in benefits,
employment, and partnership with government and not to be ignored due to
political color”, the national-leadership awardee and former mayor
of Sabangan said.
For
the position of vice governor, incumbent Vice Gov.BonifacioLacwasan and Albert
Paday-os filed their COCs. .
For
Board Members: District l – DelfinSallidao, Raul Lapon, Florence Taguiba,
Alfonso Kiat-ong, Stephen Afuyog, Angelo Fongafong, CarinoTamang, and Luke
Chanasen.
Lapon,
Taguiba, Kiatong, and Afuyog are incumbents.
District
ll candidates are Salvador Dalang, Winston Calde, Evelyn Taclobao, Romeo
Pagedped, Donato Danglose, Honorio Dominguez lll, and RomualdoSolang.
Calde,
Pagedped, including Taclobao are incumbents with the third representing the
Councilors’ League in the province.
List
of candidates for the municipal levels were not secured as of press time. But
for Bontoc, the capital town, vying for the position of mayor is only incumbent Mayor Franklin Odsey who filed his
COC last Thursday.
Candidates
for vice mayor are Eusebio Kabluyen, a graduating councilor, and the incumbent
Peter Pumaat. Incidentally both candidates come from barangay Talubin, Bontoc.
24
individuals filed their candidacies for the 8 positions of councilors. They are
Ptr. Jefferson Saguibal, John Pelew, Alfredo Awichen, Benjamin Ngeteg,
CiriacoFilog, Asuncion Diaz, Jerome Tudlong, AlsannysterPatingan, Herman
Farnican, Esteban Ngodcho, Constancio Miranda, Timothy Pongad, William Aspilan,
Ninian Lang-agan, Kenneth Chengay, Dalton Afidchao, Alexandre Claver, Jaime
Kewan, Shirley Peckley, Frederick Waclet, Robert Dacyon, Viola Okko, Jupiter
Kalangeg, and Alexander Fakat.
14 Ortega relatives Run in La Union
In La
Union, at least 14 members of the Ortega clan filed their COC for various
positions.
District
1 Rep. Victor Ortega, 83, is running for mayor in San Fernando City. His
brother, incumbent mayor Pablo Ortega, is running for congressman in District
1.
Their
younger brothers, Pepe and Ramon, are running for vice mayor and councilor.
They are running against the sons of Gov. Manuel Ortega, Mannix and Alfred. The
governor has endorsed his son, Abono party-list Rep. Emmanuel Ortega II, as his
successor.
Marcoses
In
Ilocos Norte, aside from Sen. Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. who is
running for vice president, three other members of the Marcos family are also
gunning for local elective posts in the 2016 election.
Former
First Lady Imelda Marcos is seeking reelection for her third and final term as
the 2nd District Representative of Ilocos Norte. The senator flew to Laoag on
Oct. 16 – the last day of filing of certificates of candidacy (COC) – to
accompany his mother, who came with him during his own filing on Tuesday, Oct. 13, in Manila.
The
Marcoses' eldest child, Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos, also filed her COC
late Friday afternoon to run for her third and last term as governor, according
to one of her aides at the provincial capitol.
Imee
Marcos' youngest son, Matthew Marcos-Manotoc, filed his COC for Sangguniang Panlalawigan
(provincial board member) in his grandmother's 2nd district.
The
province, where the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos was born, remains a stronghold of the Marcoses even decades
after his death.
The
province was identified as an election hotspot with a high risk of
election-related violence during the 2010 presidential elections.
Sources
said Imee Marcos initially toyed with the idea of running against 1st District
Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas, but she was advised against it since this would divide
the Ilocano vote for Bongbong Marcos. Imee Marcos and Fariñas have been
political opponents since the 2013 elections.
Solid North?
Bongbong
Marcos, who is running in tandem with Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago,
earlier said that there is a new term for his family's support base aside from
"Marcos loyalists" or voters of the so-called Solid North – the Solid
Ilocano Vote. – votes from Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, and Cordillera
Administrative Region – to give her brother a "strong chance of winning.
It's
like destiny because he is the only one from the North,Bongbong is the only
candidate from the Ilocandia. Maybe it's heaven-sent, a coincidence that all
his other opponents in the race come from the Bicolandia.”
She's
referring to vice presidential bets Francis Escudero, Leni Robredo, and
Gregorio Honasan, all from Bicol. The father of another vice presidential
aspirant, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, also grew up in Bicol.
De Venecia seeks third term in Congress
In
Dagupan City, Pangasinan fourth district Rep. Gina de Venecia filed her
certificate of candidacy (COC) at around 9 a.m. Thursday at the provincial
Comelec office.
De
Venecia, who is seeking her third term under the Liberal Party-Biskeg na Pangasinan
parties, said the date and time of her filing is special to her, as she
dedicates it to the 100th birth anniversary of her father, the late Jose Perez,
owner of movie production company Sampaguita Pictures. Perez died in 1972.
The
congresswoman said she had to rush to her dad’s hometown in Bulacan where a
party celebrating his life and achievements was being held.
Her
husband, former House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr., was not with her when she
filed her COC as he was in China.
Supt.
Ferdinand de Asis, Pangasinan police spokesman, said no violent incident
occurred in Pangasinan.
De
Asis said this could be due to the presence of police personnel around the
Comelec premises.
Pipo
lauded the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting and the
Lingayen-Dagupan Archdiocese for launching the “One Good Vote” campaign.
Cagayan’s political
landscape reshapes
In
Tuguegarao City among the first entries in the Comelec list of aspiring candidates
for provincial posts were old, familiar surnames in Cagayan politics: Antonio,
Vargas and Enrile.
But
while the names are the same, the three candidates who filed their certificates
of candidacy (COCs) on Monday, comprising the provincial lineup of the United
Nationalist Alliance (UNA), represent a mix of the old and the new, the
hardened and the neophytes.
Among
the three, the most familiar name was Juan “Jack” Ponce Enrile Jr., son of Sen.
Juan Ponce Enrile. Jack wants to replace his wife, Salvacion, as third district
representative and return to the post he held before he ran and lost in the
Senate race in 2013.
Top-billing
the UNA ticket in Cagayan is a 36-year-old political neophyte but with a
familiar name: lawyer Cristina “Tin-tin” Antonio. She seeks to take over from
her father, three-term Gov. Alvaro Antonio.
Board
Member Melvin Vargas Jr. filed his COC as UNA vice gubernatorial candidate.
While he may not be necessarily new in politics, he belongs to the third
generation of the Vargas family who has been in local politics for the past
three decades, starting with former Gov. Florencio Vargas Sr.
His
aunt, incumbent Rep. Baby Alyne Vargas-Alfonso of the second district, is
expected to seek reelection under the UNA ticket. As of press time, however,
she had yet to file her COC.
But
while it now looks like the UNA ticket has preserved alliances in Cagayan, at
least for the 2016 elections, it was not without damage.
The
young Antonio’s run for the province’s top elective post shattered the
governor’s “Team Cagayan” alliance with outgoing Vice Gov. Leonides “Odie”
Fausto, who is expected to vie for the gubernatorial post.
As
they both cruised through their third terms, Fausto had made known his plans to
succeed Governor Antonio. Everything seemed well on track because in recent
months, Jack Enrile even went public expressing support for Fausto’s 2016
plans.
Monday’s
COC filing by Antonio and Enrile under one slate officially cuts ties between
erstwhile UNA allies Antonio and Fausto, who is set to file his COC for
governor under the Nacionalista Party (NP).
The
UNA crack may prove to benefit Secretary Manuel Mamba in the three-way battle
for governor. Mamba, a member of the Liberal Party (LP) and outgoing chief of
the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office, heads the province’s other
political force.
His
PLLO associate, Assistant Secretary Ignacio Taruc, a former mayor of Buguey
town, is expected to be Mamba’s running mate.
A
former representative of the first district, Mamba returns to the Cagayan
political arena backed by his old LP allies and reinforced by a number of
defections from the Antonio-Fausto fallout.
Among
the recent defectors are Board Member Ramon Nolasco, a former three-term mayor
of Gattaran and patriarch of a growing political family that includes his son
Matthew, the incumbent mayor, and nephew Danilo Jr., the vice mayor.
Ramon
Nolasco seeks to deny Jack Enrile, a former UNA ally, from reclaiming the post
that he and his wife alternately held since 1998.
The
LP is fielding a candidate to challenge Vargas-Alfonso for the second
congressional district, with a scion of the Sacramed family of Sanchez Mira
town, signaling a breakout from the Vargas-led UNA coalition there.
Maj.
Darwin Sacramed, a former aide-de-camp of Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa
Jr., will enter politics to follow in the footsteps of his parents, Councilor
Napoleon Sacramed, a former three-term mayor, and incumbent Mayor
AselaSacramed.
In
the third congressional district, the LP is expected to field Board Member
Christian Guzman to contest the reelection bid of Rep. Randolph Ting of the
National Unity Party.
Drama
in the race for the province’s third district, however, may soon intensify
after Governor Antonio hinted that he was also considering running for
representative.
Sources
said Antonio was provoked by criticisms hurled at him by Ting’s father, former
Tuguegarao City Mayor Delfin Ting Sr., for his support for Mayor Jefferson
Soriano as the latter dealt with a string of suspensions and an aborted
dismissal during his first term.
Delfin
Sr. is said to be challenging Soriano anew in the mayoral race in the capital
Tuguegarao. The incumbent vice mayor, lawyer EnglebertCaronan, is also reported
to be joining the race, breaking an alliance with the Ting family.
A
known Ting ally, Board Member Mila Perpetua Lauigan, is said to be running for
vice governor, alongside Fausto.
GMA runs for
reelection
In
Pampanga, former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is
seeking a third and final term as representative of Pampanga’s second district.
Her
eldest son, Juan Miguel “Mikey” Arroyo, filed the certificate of candidacy
(COC) on her behalf at the Commission on Elections office here.
Arroyo,
who has been under hospital arrest at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center on
plunder charges, is running under the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats.
Arroyo
won by a landslide in the 2013 elections against Liberal Party (LP) candidate
Adonis Simpao. It was not immediately known if anyone will challenge
Arroyo.
If
Arroyo wins in May, she will be the only remaining Arroyo in Congress.
Her son, Diosdado Ignacio “Dato” Arroyo is bowing out as representative of
Camarines Sur’s second district.
Luis
Raymond Villafuerte, former governor of the province, and Mayor AsuncioArseño
of Pasacao town are reportedly eyeing Dato’s seat.
Padaca allies
Politicians
identified with former governor Grace Padaca failed to get the endorsement of
the LP for next year’s local elections.
Gamu
town Vice Mayor Fernando Cumigad, who is running for mayor, said he filed his
COC under the PDP-Laban because the LP has “endorsed someone else.”
Isabela
District 2 Rep. Ana Go, formerly of the Nacionalista Party, took her oath as LP
member last month.
Go,
along with eight town mayors, were nominated as LP’s official candidates,
leaving candidates identified with Padaca without a party.
“I
have no idea on the status in the LP of former governor Padaca and her group,”
Go told local media.
On
her Facebook account, Padaca said many local LP members were unceremoniously dropped
from the list of LP candidates without prior consultation or notice.
She
cited the LP’s decision to “abandon one of its own for political convenience,”
referring to Henry Bacurnay, undersecretary for external affairs at the office
of Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr.
Bacurnay,
former LP chairman in La Union, is running for governor as an independent
candidate.
When
asked if LP had dumped her, Padaca said, “I am not sure if I’m still LP because
ever since my appointment as Comelec commissioner, I’ve been on leave from both
LP and Kaya Natin. I’ve not resumed my prior status with either.”
“I
am not sourgraping. I am just echoing what many of those who in 2010 believed
and helped in the tuwidnadaan feel about finding out in the news that they’ve
been replaced by the very people who badmouthed and campaigned against the
tuwidnadaan team,” she added.
“Word
is that the elder Nolasco has been promised to be given his turn to run for
Congress. He has been waiting and waiting and that turn has not been given to
him,” said a UNA source.
Pampanga
governor sets
bid for last term
Pampanga Gov.
Lilia Pineda announced that she would seek reelection for her third and last
term in 2016.
“There
are still many things that have to be done for the Kapampangans,” she said,
adding she urged other officials seeking reelection to go back to work after
filing their COCs.– With reports from LIezle BasaInigo, Raymund Catindig,
Jerry Padilla, Liam Anacleto, March Fianza, Jee Y. Geronimo, Roger Sacyaten and
wires
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