Priest elected village chief in Cebu town

Suspended priest and newly-elected barangay captain of Kawit Fr. Oscar Banzon answers question from the media regarding issues of him during interview at friend’s house in Barangay Kawit Medillen. LITO TECSON/CDN

CEBU CITY, Philippines —A priest who was suspended by the Archdiocese of Cebu for seeking the post of barangay (village) captain in the Medellin town, 119 km north of Cebu City, has won  against the incumbent barangay leader.

Fr. Oscar Banzon, 51, said God was with him during the campaign.

The board of election inspectors declared Banzon as the winner of the race for chairman of Barangay Kawit at 2 a.m. Tuesday, with a slim margin of 83 votes against Charito Areglado.

Based on the official results, Banzon garnered 1,210 votes against Charito Areglado’s 1,127 votes. The barangay has 4,355 registered voters.

Three of the candidates for the barangay council on the priest’s slate also won, the same number of seats won by candidates on Areglado’s ticket. The seventh slot went to an independent.

“I am happy, I am happy. For me, my victory is also the victory of the people of Kawit,” Banzon said in a telephone interview.

Asked how he ran his campaign, Banzon said he told voters simply that “we need change” and that he wanted to fight corruption.

While his opponent was backed by Medellin Mayor Ricardo Ramirez  and 4th district Representative Benhur Salimbangon, Banzon said he was backed by God.

He said that  if he accomplishes what he has set out to do in one three-year term he would not seek reelection but would return to priesthood.

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