What do these three—(from left) Quezon City Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte, Mayor Herbert Bautista and Rep. Feliciano Belmonte Jr.—have in common? They’re all incumbents who won their bid for reelection and were subsequently proclaimed winners by the city board of canvassers on Tuesday. Belmonte’s Liberal Party also swept the congressional race in the city’s six districts. MARIANNE BERMUDEZ
Based on the results of the canvassing of votes in several areas in Metro Manila, familiarity doesn’t always breed contempt. For an incumbent politician or their kin, it can even be an advantage.
This was certainly the case in Makati City where Mayor Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay scored an easy victory in his reelection bid when he garnered 224,749 votes compared to rival Renato Bondal’s 27,505 votes.
By the time Binay finishes his second term as mayor in 2016, his family would have held the reins of power in the country’s business capital for 30 years. Binay’s father, Vice President Jejomar Binay, was first appointed as the city’s officer in charge by then President Corazon Aquino in 1986. His wife, Elenita, also served as mayor.
“For the second time, we are given a chance by Makati residents to serve them,” the younger Binay told reporters before he was proclaimed the winner by the city board of canvassers at noon Tuesday. The event was witnessed by his four children, his parents and siblings, including his sisters Abigail and Nancy Binay.
Abigail was also reelected as the city’s representative in the second district while Nancy looks poised to secure a seat in the Senate.
The only fly in the ointment was the defeat of Junjun Binay’s running mate, city administrator Marjorie de Veyra, who lost to incumbent Vice Mayor Romulo “Kid” Peña of the Liberal Party. De Veyra received 122,956 votes compared to Peña’s 129,499.
In the congressional race in the first district, reelectionist Rep. Monique Lagdameo who ran under Team Binay was declared the winner with 92,348 votes.
Bistek keeps grip
Like Binay, Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista coasted to an easy win in his reelection bid, scoring 562,822 votes against his rivals John Chang (54,751) and Henry Samonte (24,995).
His running mate, Vice Mayor Josefina Belmonte, also emerged victorious with 567,192 votes compared to her opponent, Rolando Jota, who received only 39,732 votes.
Due to their overwhelming lead over their opponents with around 97 percent of the votes already tabulated, the two incumbent officials were proclaimed the winners in the mayoral and vice mayoral contests by Quezon City board of canvassers head Jovencio Balanquit at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Bautista told the Inquirer that he expected to meet more challenges during his second term, including addressing the needs of people who did not vote for him.
“I would have to identify their concerns and address them. They may have legitimate concerns that need to be resolved,” he said.
Incumbent congressmen in the city’s second, third and fourth districts earned a fresh mandate as Winston Castelo, Jorge Banal and Feliciano Belmonte Jr., respectively, won over their opponents. On the other hand, former Councilors Francisco Calalay Jr. and Alfred Vargas won in the first and fifth district, respectively, while Jose Christopher Belmonte, Feliciano’s nephew, was declared the winner in the sixth district.
Benhur stays
In Mandaluyong, the incumbent mayor, Benhur Abalos, won a third and final term after he received 86,978 out of the 131,743 votes cast in the city.
His closest rival, outgoing Vice Mayor Danilo de Guzman, garnered 39,298 votes while another candidate, Francisco Solomon, got only 479 votes.
In the vice mayoral race, Abalos’ running mate, former Councilor Edward Bartolome, won with 81,640 votes compared to 31,722 for his closest rival, Gerardo Pe.
In the congressional race, another incumbent, Rep. Neptali Gonzales, was reelected with 104,851 votes.
Meanwhile, a neophyte politician ended up topping the race for city councilor in the first district. Her name? Charisse Abalos, the mayor’s daughter.
No change in Pateros
In Pateros, another reelectionist was proclaimed mayor-elect Tuesday morning. Mayor Jaime “Joey” Medina of the Nacionalista Party won by a slim margin of just 602 votes over his opponent, Miguel Ponce III, of the Liberal Party.
On the other hand, the Liberal Party candidate, Gerald German, was proclaimed vice mayor, beating Ernesto Cortez of NP and independent candidate Jose Tuazon.
In Pasay City, no winners have been proclaimed yet although reelectionist Mayor Antonino Calixto was leading the race by a wide margin. With 98.9 percent of the election results already transmitted, Calixto had 119,177 votes against his rival, Jorge del Rosario’s 28,951 votes.
In Pasig City, the wife of outgoing Mayor Bobby Eusebio, Maribel Eusebio, garnered 226,766 votes, 215,421 more than the 11,345 votes her rival, Wainwright Rivera, got. Her votes represented 85 percent of the total number of votes cast in the city.
But in the vice mayoral race, independent candidate Iyo Bernardo trounced Eusebio’s running mate, Rodrigo Asilo.
The new city council, on the other hand, will be composed of 11 councilors who ran under Eusebio’s party and Ritchie Brown, an independent.
In Navotas, the Tiangco-led Partido Navoteño under the United Nationalist Alliance swept all the local and congressional posts.
Rep. Tobias Tiangco will continue serving in Congress after garnering 69,107 votes, a landslide victory over neophyte candidate Rico Jose de Guzman who got 17,048 votes.
On the other hand, Mayor John Reynald Tiangco will also continue serving until 2016 after he received 60,277 votes in the mayoral race. Incumbent Councilor Clint Nicolas Geronimo was elected vice mayor with 53,231 votes while the Partido Navoteño-UNA ticket swept all 12 seats in the city council—an unprecedented feat.
Sorry for Shalani
In Valenzuela, the Gatchalian brothers and their Tayo Na, Valenzuela coalition dominated the elections. Outgoing Mayor Sherwin Gatchalian will serve in Congress as first district representative after garnering 67,540 votes while his post will go to the current congressman, Rexlon Gatchalian.
However, another party member, Councilor Shalani Soledad-Romulo, lost in her bid to represent the second district after Lakas’ Magtanggol Gunigundo garnered 57,430 votes compared to her 54,283 votes.
Meanwhile, Muntinlupa saw a reversal of the 2010 mayoral elections with the victory of former Mayor Jaime Fresnedi over the incumbent, Aldrin San Pedro.
San Pedro defeated Fresnedi for mayor in 2010. This year, Fresnedi emerged victorious with 93,182 votes compared to San Pedro’s 88,011.
“This is another chance to serve Muntinlupa. It means the people trust me. It’s God’s intervention, considering [San Pedro] used massive resources,” Fresnedi said.
On the other hand, San Pedro’s running mate, Artemio Simundac, was reelected as vice mayor with 110,584 votes compared to Fresnedi’s running mate, Gigi So, who received 62,471 votes.
The representative of the city’s lone district, Rodolfo Biazon, was also reelected.—With Marc Joseph Alejo, Diane Marie Reyes, Charlotte Hagosojos, Mariejo Ramos, Jon Christoffer Obice, Alex Austria and Dexter Cabalza