3 millennial leaders emerge in E. Visayas

TACLOBAN CITY, LEYTE, Philippines — The recently concluded midterm elections have produced three millennial leaders in Eastern Visayas but all belong to  the region’s political dynasties.

Carl Nicholas Cari, 26, is now the new representative of Leyte’s fifth district. Dexter Uy, 25, was elected mayor of Catbalogan City in Samar. Eduardo Ong Jr., 22, is the vice mayor-elect of Carigara town, Leyte.

It was a landslide victory for Cari who belongs to the Veloso-Loreto political dynasty, which for decades  has ruled Leyte’s fifth district composed of Baybay City and the towns of Abuyog, Bato, Hilongos, Hindang, Inopacan, Javier, Mahaplag and Matalom.

All in the family

Cari got 33,087 votes while his opponent, Marilou Baligod only managed to earn 16,786 votes.

His father, Jose, is the outgoing representative of the district and elected mayor of Baybay City whose current chief executive is his grandmother, Carmen Cari.

An uncle, Michael, is the sitting vice mayor. Cari is also the nephew of Leyte Gov. Leopoldo Dominico Petilla and Vice Gov. Carlo Loreto.

Before he was elected congressman, Cari was the president of the Association of Barangay Chairmen in Baybay City, the family’s  bailiwick.

In an earlier interview, the young Cari said it was his personal decision to run for Congress and was not “influenced” by his father or grandmother, who used to be representative of the district.

The case of Uy is a bit interesting because he was just a substitute candidate after his elder sister, Mayor Stephany Uy-Tan, decided not to seek reelection but instead run for councilor which she easily won.

Uy defeated businessman Von Zosa by more than 7,000 votes. Uy obtained 28,285 votes while Zosa, who is into the transport business, got 21,241 votes.

Uy’s father, Coefredo, a former Catbalogan mayor, was elected vice mayor in  Monday’s polls.

Unlike Cari and Uy, it would be the first time for Ong to hold public office.

It was a landslide victory for Ong, whose father, Eduardo Sr., was also elected mayor for the third time.

The young Ong garnered 20,585 votes while his rival, reelectionist Vice Mayor Mildred Modesto only got 3,317 votes.