Popular for their work, 8 journos win in local races

WINNERS. Radio personalities Ester Marin Catorce (left), Erlinda Araquil (center) and Chow Rodriguez (right) show the certificate of canvass showing them winners in local races. Catorce and Rodriguez won as city councilors while Araquil as vice mayor of Koronadal City. | PHOTO: FACEBOOK Page of Ester Catorce

GENERAL SANTOS CITY—Eight former and active media practitioners, four of them coming from the same media network, are among the big winners in this city and nearby South Cotabato province in the May 9 elections.

Lawyer Kan Balleque, radio and television anchor, Brigada Mass Media Corporation secured the ninth seat in the 12-person city council here while colleagues from their radio station in Koronadal City – Erlina Araquil, Ma. Ester Marin Catorce and Chow Rodriguez – were elected to various positions.

The four are active employees of Brigada but were on leave since the start of the campaign period for local candidates on March 25.

Balleque, who ran for the first time under the Achievement with Integrity Movement (AIM), had worked as a reporter of Bombo Radyo here and a popular host of homegrown Brigada’s primetime shows aired over its FM and cable television stations.

Araquil, who ran as an independent, won as vice mayor of Koronadal City on her second consecutive try as the running mate of reelected Mayor Eliordo Ogena of the PDP-Laban.

A former city councilor, she gained popularity as a reporter and anchor of radio stations Bombo Radyo and the defunct GMA Super Radyo Koronadal, and with the Brigada News FM-Koronadal.

Catorce (PDP-Laban) and Rodriquez (PDP-Laban), both anchors of Brigada News FM-Koronadal, secured the first and ninth spots in the city council, respectively.

Rodriguez won in his second foray into local politics while Catorce, who had served as councilor for three terms, is on her third and final term as a provincial board member of South Cotabato’s second district.

“With your votes, you have all encouraged us to serve more. Thank you for having faith in us and appointing us to a new job…public service in another form,” Catorce said in a Facebook post.

Aside from them, two other Brigada personalities joined the political scene for the first time but lost their bids to serve the city hall here.

Elmer Catulpos (AIM), the founder and chief executive officer of the media network’s mother firm Brigada Group of Companies, only placed third in the mayoral race, while Dyll Bartolaba (AIM), who joined Brigada after serving as an anchor for several years of a morning show of ABS-CBN’s defunct regional station here, landed 18th in the race for the 12 city council seats.

Three other former and one active media worker were also elected to various legislative positions.

Elizabeth Bagonoc (PDP-Laban) won an unprecedented seventh term as city councilor by finishing sixth among the winning bets. She was a popular anchor at the Catholic Church-run radio station dxCP before joining the political arena in 1988.

In South Cotabato, anchor and Radyo Rapido station manager Lyndale Causing (Partido Federal ng Pilipinas) secured a provincial board seat in the second district, while Janeem Free Reyes (PDP-Laban) and Gary Sioquim (PFP) won as municipal councilors in Banga and Norala towns, respectively.

Reyes, an incumbent barangay chairman and Liga ng mga Barangay municipal federation president, is a former local newspaper reporter and editor, while Sioquim had a brief stint as a reporter of Bombo Radyo Koronadal.

JPV