Ynares proclaimed next Mayor of Antipolo City

MANILA, Philippines—Governor Casimiro “Jun” Ynares III was proclaimed the next Mayor of Antipolo City over re-electionist Nilo Leyble late Tuesday night after a long delay in canvassing at the Ynares Center.

The final and official count by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) was 128, 108 votes for Ynares and 121,032 for Leyble.

The City Board of Canvassers, led by Chairman Rene Gatun, decided to forego the rest of the canvassing which got stuck at 99.13 percent until 10:15 p.m. Tuesday due to faulty CF memory cards from four clustered precincts.

The remaining 3,500 untallied votes were not enough for Leyble to overtake Ynares’ lead.

“The sooner we resolve this, the earlier we can move on with our lives,” Ynares said.

Leyble did not concede up to the last minute, although Ynares claimed that the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) told him that his opponent has already accepted defeat but was not the case when he heard from other sources.

“I’m happy, congratulations to Mayor Leyble, alam ko naman qualified din siya to be Mayor of Antipolo,” said Ynares.

Ynares said that he will celebrate by spending time with his kids after not being able to do so for the past several months.

Ynares loyalists celebrated the whole afternoon outside Ynares Center as campaign jingles were being played near the arena’s entrance.

The governor arrived at 5 p.m. with his family and other candidates as proclamations were expected shortly after.

Leyble’s supporters camped outside the Antipolo Town Hall gate, creating tension from both sides.

Around 50 policemen stood by to control the situation, but no violence was reported.

“Isantabi na natin ang hidwaan, kung may malasakit tayong lahat para sa Antipolo. We don’t harbor any ill feelings towards them (Leyble camp), sana ganun din sa kanilang side,” said Ynares.

Media were not allowed inside Ynares Center as police informed reporters and cameramen that they can only enter once all canvassing proceedings have been finished.

The compound housing the town hall and Ynares center has been under Comelec control since Monday.

Robbie Puno won the congressional seat in District 1 while Romeo Acop won in District 2.