Disqualified bet’s wife wins as mayor

SAN PEDRO, Laguna—Lourdes Cataquiz, wife of disqualified Mayor Calixto Cataquiz, was proclaimed winner in the mayoral race here.

Lourdes is a last-minute substitution for her husband who had been disqualified in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling that affirmed his 2011 conviction for graft and barred him from ever holding public office again.

Lourdes, 65, is a former vice mayor of this town. She beat incumbent Vice Mayor Norvic Solidum of the Liberal Party (LP) with a margin of 26,338 votes.

Lourdes’ running mate, Raffy Campos, also won, garnering 37,211 votes against LP’s Nina Almoro with 32,713 votes.