Cebu governor wins congress post by margin of 1,984 votes
After a close election battle, suspended Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia was proclaimed congresswoman-elect of Cebu’s 3rd district yesterday along with other officials in the 3rd and 4th district.
With a slim margin of 1,984 votes, she overtook Pinamungahan Mayor Geraldine Yapha of the Liberal Party who polled 103,440 votes against her 105,424 in northwest Cebu.
It was the first time Garcia stepped into the Capitol social hall since February when she was locked out of the Governor’s Office where she had spent a six-week self-enforced stay to protest her suspension by the Office of the President in December last year.
“This has been the most difficult political battle that I had to face. You know what I was up against. But by the grace of God, we prevailed,” Garcia told reporters after she was proclaimed by the Provincial Board of Canvassers at the Capitol social hall past 4 p.m.
She expressed her thanks “to all those who believe in me and voted for me” and “bove everyone else, the Lord God almighty.
Gwen is the second of five Garcias who won in the May 13 elections.
Only one brother Dumanjug town mayor Nelson Garcia won reelection, a near-wipe out of clan members in the campaign that LP lawyer Democrito Barcenas earlier said was a “rejection of the Garcia dynasty”.
Gwen will replace her youngest brother 3rd district Rep. Pablo John Garcia, who had hoped to trade places with her by running for governor but lost to LP candidate Hilario Davide III.
Their father 2nd district Rep. Pablo Garcia and brother Vice Mayor Marlon Garcia of Barili were also defeated in their election bids.
Dressed in jeans and a white shirt, Gwen yesterday showed up for her proclamation with her daughter and lawyer Christina Codilla-Frasco; son-in-law Liloan Mayor Duke Frasco; her granddaughter Sofia; son Paulo and wife Michelle with their son Jules and Rep. Benhur Salimbangon of the 4th district.
There was applause from supporters when the Provincial Board of Canvassers raised both her hands in the air, making her the first woman representative of Cebu’s 3rd district.
She smiled but gave no speech, and didn’t linger long. A teary-eyed Christina embraced her mother after the ceremony as they were about to leave the Capitol social hall.
The cliffhanger ending, due to late transmission of election results of several towns, was solved with the arrival yesterday of replacement compact flash cards from Manila
Returns from eight of 51 localities in Cebu province have yet to be sent to the Provincial Canvass Board, delaying the proclamation of winners for governor, vice governor , and congressmen and provincial board members of the 1st, 2nd, and 4th districts.
Based on election returns, Garcia won in the municipalities of Aloguinsan, Asturias, Barili, and Balamban.
Her rival Mayor Geraldine Yapha got more votes than Garcia in Toledo City and municipalities of Tuburan and Pinamungahan.
The three-term governor won her 2007 reelection with nearly half a million votes in Cebu province but the wide support did not show in her brother’s governorship bid and whittled down in the 3rd district to a see-saw battle with a female town mayor.
BALILI TRIAL
Gwen still faces a Sandiganbayan trial on three charges of graft for the Capitol’s 2008 purchase of the Balili estate in Naga which turned out to be mostly underwater.
Cebu elections supervisor Eddie Aba first proclaimed Garcia, a candidate of the United Nationalists Alliance – One Cebu.
Then followed other winners – Grecilda Sanchez-Zaballero and Alex Binghay who will represent the 3rd district in the Cebu Provincial Board.
Binghay received 106,733 votes while Zaballero, daughter of the late Vice Gov. Gregorio Sanchez, got a total of 87,536, which was enough to defeat a third contender incumbent PB Member Ceasar Ian Zambo.
Rep. Luigi Quisumbing was proclaimed the reelected congressman of the 6th district. Incumbent PB members Arleigh Sitoy and Thadeo Ouano received fresh mandates for the district.
As of 7 p.m., eight towns and cities still have to transmit their election returns – Carcar City, Naga City, Badian, Dalaguete, San Remigio, Catmon, Danao City, and San Francisco.
The Comelec official said election results reached 82.35 percent.
Aba said three CF cards arrived in Cebu yesterday and were immediately sent to Ronda, Sibonga, and Catmon which have yet to transmit the votes to the canvassing center. More CF cards are expected to arrive to be given to other precincts that need them.
“We’re trying our best to proclaim everyone,” he said.
Earlier in the morning, the counsel of UNA-One Cebu urged the canvassing board to proclaim Garcia winner in the 3rd district. The request was granted after all six towns and Toledo city results were able to transmit their election returns.
