Bontoc dad unites top 2 Mt Province officials for polls

By Francis B. Degay

BONTOC, Mountain Province - Incumbents Rep. Maximo Dalog, Jr. and Gov. Bonifacio Lacwasan, Jr. formally agreed to unite for a better Mountain Province during a meeting held at the residence of Bontoc Mayor Franklin Odsey on Oct. 7.
    The animated consultation and agreement were witnessed by supporters of both political parties of Dalog and Lacwasan, including those of Odsey.
    Dalog, who sits as congressman in the lone district of Mountain Province, continues to promote his father’s vision of “Gawis ay Mountain Province.”
    The late Maximo Dalog, Sr. crafted and used said guiding principle when he was then governor until his demise in 2016 as congressman.
    Lacwasan, on the other hand, promotes “Barangay Muna” as his slogan to deliver the basic services in the province.
    Odsey believes integrating the two principles and working together will ultimately create Mountain Province a better place to live in.
    In the previous months, it was floated that Odsey was being considered as a contender of the gubernatorial position in the forthcoming 2022 national and local elections.
    However, his intention of unifying Dalog and Lacwasan was reportedly his utmost interest.
    Hence, members of Odsey’s family, for lack of ample resources decided to support their father in his advocacy to unify Dalog and Lacwasan.
    Mayor Odsey is a 3rd termer local chief executive of the capital town of Bontoc, which will end on June 31, 2022.  
    In an interview with Odsey, he said he will extend his assistance to provincial folks his capacity as a private citizen.   
    Records from Comelec -Mt Province Election officer lawyer Ricardo Lampac are the following:  
    Candidates for representative of the lone district of Mountain province are incumbent congressman Dalog Jr  (Nationalista Party) and comebacking  candidate Engineer Jupiter Dominguez (Lakas CMD Party) for the same position. 
    Aspiring for the governorship are incumbent  Gov. Lacwasan Jr (PDP-Laban), Albert Paday-os  (Independent) and Oliver Acapen ( Independent).
    For vice governor are incumbent vice governor  Francis Tauli (PDP-Laban), incumbent Bauko mayor  Abraham Akilit (Nationalista) and incumbent board member  Alexandrei  Claver ( Aksyon Demokratiko).
    For  board members of  District 1 are incumbent  board members  Federico E. Onsat ( PDP-Laban), Janice  Barillo ( PDP-Laban), and Joshua Fronda (PDP-Laban); former board members  Carino Tamang  (Nationalista), Ezra Gomez (Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino), and Raul Lapon  (Reform Ph-People’s Party);   Pio  Cupasan (Ind), Cleto Chakapna (Ind), Matthew Fanao ( Reform Ph-People’s Party) and Constancio Miranda ( Nationalista Party).
    For Board members of District 2 are incumbent  board members  Donato Danglose (PDP-Laban), Salvador  Dalang (PDP-Laban),  and Henry Bastian (PDP-Laban);  incumbent Besao mayor  Johnson Bantog (Independent)  and Agosto  Bugnosen (Ind);Fernando Begnaen Jr  (Ind), Jeff Layog (Nationalista Party), Jayne Saong (Ind);  former board member Romeo Pagedped, and Ricardo Masidong Jr ( Nationalista Party) and Bernardo Acnaban (Ind).