Mountain Province officials proclaimed; Mayaen daughter now ‘gov’ despite Comelec rule

BONTOC, Mountain Province – The Provincial Board of Canvassers proclaimed Tuesday winning candidates for various provincial elective posts.

Proclaimed winners who shall start their mandate on July are led by unopposed congressional bet Maximo Dalog, Sr., unopposed gubernatorial candidate lawyer Kathy Jill Mayaen Luis and re-electionist vice governor Bonifacio Lacwasan who won over Albert Paday-os.

Dalog snared 50,388 votes, while Mayaen received 48,146 votes in favor of his daughter.

Luis is the daughter of the late Mountain Province Gov. Leonard Mayaen who filed her certificate of candidacy as substitute candidate following the death of her father before last Monday’s elections was proclaimed winner of the gubernatorial race Tuesday night.
Gov. Mayaen was running for reelection unopposed until he expired a month before last Monday’s elections.

Commission on Elections (Comelec) provincial officer Elenita Julia Tabangin-Capuyan said they were supposed to do the proclamation on the evening of May 9 but postponed it due to the delayed transmission of results from one municipality.

Capuyan said the board of canvassers decided to proclaim Luis even as the en banc’s decision on her certificate of candidacy (COC) as a substitute for her father is still pending.

“I can’t believe it happened. We proclaimed Atty. Mayaen (Luis) for governor of Mt. Province. The vice chair and member voted to proclaim, but I voted to seek the consent of the commission first before proclaiming, but I was outvoted,” Capuyan said.

On March 31, Gov. Mayaen suffered a fatal cardiac arrest. He was an independent candidate running unopposed for his third term.

His daughter filed her COC on May 5 based on the provision of Comelec Resolution 8894, Section 19 stating that an independent candidate who dies can be substituted by a relative with the same surname.

Kathy’s COC was immediately transmitted to the law department of the Comelec head office in Manila, which has yet to act on the matter.

Comelec chairman Andres Bautista earlier told Baguio newsmen the Comelec en banc had decided not to allow any substitution for the late Mayaen.

Legal quarters however said he case could be elevated to he Supreme Court which could decide with finality on the matter.

Meanwhile Given a three year reign for the provincial legislative body are Raul Lapon, Stephen Afuyog, Carino Tamang, and Alfonso Kiat-on, Sr. for the first district and Francis Tauli, Romeo Pagedped, Donato Danglose, and Salvador Dalang for the second district.

In the municipal level, three unopposed, two re-electionists, four first timers, and one returning mayoral contenders were likewise proclaimed. The unopposed candidates include Franklin Odsey of Bontoc, Johnson Bantog II of Besao and Anthony Wooden of Tadian.

In Bauko, incumbent mayor Abraham Akilit survived a close contest against former mayor Simon Lacwasan to serve his second term in the province’s most populated town.

On the eastern part of the province, Natonin mayor Mateo Chiyawan won a three cornered fight to secure his third consecutive term.

Paracelis mayor Gavino Bucok was not as lucky as he lost his re-election bid to former mayor Avelino Amangyen while mayor Clark Ngaya of Barlig failed to rewrite history when he relinquished his seat to incumbent vice mayor Genesis Changilan.

In the political history of Barlig, no sitting mayor won a second term.   

In one of the most closely watched contest, former National Bureau of Investigation regional director Jose Limmayog, Jr. derailed the bid of  incumbent Sadanga mayor Gabino Ganggangan for a third term.

Winning the mayoralty contest in the tourist town of Sagada is neophyte politician James Pooten, Jr. who lorded it over engineer Andres Aclayan. In Sabangan, Venancio Lipawen will take the reign from graduating mayor Donato Danglose who won a seat at the provincial board.

Proclaimed vice mayors for the province’s ten municipalities are Eusebio Kabluyen (Bontoc), June Lopsoten (Besao), Alfonso Polan (Tadian), Bartolo Badecao (unopposed, Bauko), Fernandez Linggayo (Natonin), Lorenzo Carpio (Paracelis), David Osborn Fomocod (Barlig),  Joseph Apopot (Sadanga), Ben Capuyan (Sagada) and Dario Esden (Sabangan).

Elected councilors in the capital town of Bontoc are Viola Okko, Esteban Nguddo, Julian Chumacog, Herman Farnican, Alsanyster Patingan, Alfredo Awichen, Alexandre Claver, and Robert Dacyon.

In Sagada, the winning councilors include Felicito Dula, Peter Tauli, David Tallusen Buyagan, Dave Gullian, Joseph Aclopen, Ezra Wadingan, Jerry Ticag, and Milton Tawali. – With reports from Angel Baybay and Lycha Marra