Voters picked Peña over Binay in 13 of 20 villages in Makati

In 13 of the 20 barangays in Makati City’s first district, the majority of voters chose Romulo “Kid” Peña for congressman, instead of former Vice President Jejomar Binay.

The patriarch of the city’s first family who served as mayor for numerous terms got 65,229 votes against the 71,035 votes for Peña who was proclaimed the winner.

Based on the city’s election returns, Peña posted his biggest margin of victory over Binay in Barangay Valenzuela where the former served as chair for several terms. He received 3,597 votes against Binay’s 1,497.

In contrast Binay’s margin of victory in his own bailiwick of Barangay San Antonio was considerably smaller. He got 4,288 votes compared to his rival’s 3,642 votes.

Peña’s surprise upset was made possible by his big win in the first district’s vote-rich barangays of Olympia (7,904 votes against Binay’s 5,978) and Poblacion (7218 votes compared to Binay’s 5430).

Binay’s loss in Poblacion was unexpected as he and the entire slate of the United Nationalist Alliance led by his daughter Abby Binay had been endorsed by the bloc-voting Iglesia ni Cristo.

The religious sect has five churches in the city located in Barangays Poblacion, Pembo, Bangkal, Palanan and Guadalupe Nuevo. Binay won in Bangkal and Palanan. (Pembo and Guadalupe Nuevo are in the second district.)

But both candidates divided the votes from the six upscale villages. Binay won in Dasmariñas, Forbes Park and Magallanes while Peña scored in Bel-Air, San Lorenzo and Urdaneta.

Sweep for Abby

In the mayoral race, all of the city’s 33 barangays voted overwhelmingly for incumbent Mayor Abby Binay. They gave her 179,522 votes compared to her brother Junjun’s 98,653 votes.

She also won in the second district which she served for nine years in Congress.

Junjun, on the one hand, was defeated in his home barangay of San Antonio. He received 3,294 votes while his sister got 4,026 votes.

The Binays have mostly kept a low profile after the elections although Jejomar Binay attended his daughter Nancy’s proclamation as a senator-elect on Wednesday.