Polls usher in changes in south Luzon

The race is over for top posts in local elections in Palawan and in mayoral races in Los Baños town and Lucena City where prominent names such as Mitra, Genuino and Talaga got trounced.

In Palawan, businessman Jose C. Alvarez (Nationalist People’s Coalition) is the new governor.

He beat incumbent Governor Abraham Kahlil Mitra (Liberal Party), underscoring an almost total wipeout of the ruling party’s local candidates in the province.

Alvarez’s local party, Partido Pagbabago ng Palawan, allied with the NPC to win majority seats in the provincial board and mayoral races in most large municipalities.

Lawyer Victorino Socrates, Alvarez’s running mate, trounced LP candidate and Board Member Rolando Bonoan in the vice gubernatorial race.

Alvarez had 174,009 votes against Mitra’s 106,737.

In what he said was a “close fight” in the mayoral race in Los Baños town in Laguna, Anthony Genuino, 30, lost his bid for a second term to outgoing Laguna Vice Governor Caesar Perez.

Genuino said the election turnout surprised even himself. Based on partial results from the Commission on Elections (Comelec), Perez garnered 14,502 votes against Genuino with 12,585 as of Wednesday.

Perez, who sought a higher office in the province to give way to Genuino in 2010, was proclaimed mayor on Tuesday.

Incumbent Lucena Mayor Roderick Alcala was proclaimed mayor of Lucena City early Thursday morning. He won against the Talaga clan patriarch, Ramon Talaga Jr. The latter suffered a humiliating defeat on his return bid as Lucena mayor from Alcala, his wedding godson.

On Tuesday, based on a Comelec tally from 36 of 138 election returns, Alcala garnered 13,000 votes compared to Talaga’s 9,000.

Rhoderick is a second cousin of Irvin Alcala who ran for governor. Their fathers are first cousins.