Priest’s bid to change Masbate fails

FR. LEO Casas in October last year, about six months before he treaded the difficult path of politics in a province where power corrupts and absolute power stays absolutely exclusive to a few TONETTE T. OREJAS/Inquirer Central Luzon

LEGAZPI CITY—Catholic priest Fr. Leo Casas failed in his attempt to provide alternative politics to the island-province of Masbate long dominated by two political clans, as he trailed far, far behind his two opponents in the gubernatorial race won by the incumbent,

Gov. Rizalina Seachon-Lanete.

Lanete, of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) got 77,222 votes against her closest opponent, Second District Rep. Antonio Kho (Lakas), who got 60,355 votes, according to the official tally of the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

Casas, while running as a candidate of the administration’s Liberal Party (LP), only got 14,743 votes, less than

10 percent of the 186,407 total number of votes cast in the gubernatorial race.

A fourth candidate, Romeo Alburo (Kilusang Bagong Lipunan) received 1,877 votes.

In the first district congressional race, LP candidate Ricardo Butalid was also defeated by his opponent, Maria Vida “Marvi” Espinosa-Bravo (National Unity Party). Butalid only garnered 7,612 votes against Espinosa-Bravo’s 12,370 votes. Espinosa-Bravo is the wife of the district’s outgoing Rep. Narciso Bravo Jr.

In the second congressional district, it was a tight race won by Olga Kho (Lakas), a former governor of Masbate who will be replacing her husband, Antonio, who lost in the gubernatorial race.

Olga’s opponent, Darius Tuason (NPC), got 23,018 votes.

In the third district, Rep. Scott Davies Lanete (NPC), the governor’s son, won reelection with 33,820 votes against Mac John Seachon (LP), who got 28,300 votes, and independent candidate Ricardo Yanson, who got 1,498 votes. Edra Benedicto, Inquirer Southern Luzon