Reporters’ Notebook

CAMARINES SUR

Fuentebella proclaimed

Former Speaker Arnulfo Fuentebella is returning to the House of Representatives after the provincial board of canvassers in Camarines Sur proclaimed him winner in the fourth congressional district race on Friday night.

Fuentebella, head of the Fuentebella political clan in the province, beat singer Imelda Papin in a close contest that saw him lead by 740 votes. Other winning candidates in the district were also proclaimed on Friday, three days after the elections.

“The voice of the people now resonates. The numbers speak the clear and unequivocal language,” he said in a statement.

Papin, who served as vice governor of Camarines Sur for two terms, had vowed to block Fuentebella’s proclamation, saying a count by her camp showed she was leading the race.

But Fuentebella said: “It is incumbent upon all leaders who participated in the election to respect the will of the people.”

He promised residents in his district to continue to fight for “peace, livelihood and happiness.”

“Let us build our institutions and make them stronger. Let us make these institutions serve the needs of our constituents, fully aware of their growing impatience with the government,” Fuentebella said. Inquirer Southern Luzon

PAMPANGA

Double whammy for Lapids

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO—Former actor and Sen. Manuel “Lito” Lapid voted early on May 9, arriving a little past 6 a.m. at Pampanga Elementary School. Exuding confidence, Lapid,  in an electric blue shirt tucked into blue denim pants, would soon realize his optimism was baseless. He lost his mayoral bid in Angeles City to Edgardo Pamintuan, incumbent mayor who ran for reelection and got 76,540 votes. Lapid got 45,710. The same fate befell Lapid’s son, Mark, former Pampanga governor who stands to lose his senatorial bid based on unofficial tally. Lapid’s run was pushed by Rep. Carmelo Lazatin, former Angeles mayor, but Lazatin focused instead on the House bid of his son, who succeeded in beating Joseller Guiao, basketball coach and incumbent first district representative. Tonette Orejas, Inquirer Central Luzon

Pampanga won’t turn yellow

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO—If results of the presidential race are to be used as a gauge in Pampanga politics, the effort by President Aquino to convert the province into a Liberal Party (LP)  bailiwick was futile as voting records showed that 42.47 percent of more than 1 million votes cast for President on May 9 went to now presumptive President Rodrigo Duterte.

Mr. Aquino barnstormed Pampanga and allied with Gov. Lilia Pineda, one of the closest friends of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who was sent to jail in the early years of the Aquino administration. But his campaign for LP candidates Mar Roxas and Leni Robredo was for naught.

Evangeline Lourdes   “Luli” Arroyo-Bernas stood in on Wednesday for her mother, Arroyo, when the former President was proclaimed winner anew in the congressional contest in the second district. Arroyo was unopposed in her third and final term. Tonette Orejas, Inquirer Central Luzon

ILOCOS NORTE

‘New morning has come’

BADOC, Ilocos Norte—For at least 15 years, the Torralba couple has governed this town, until results of the May 9 elections showed that it was time for a change. Vice Mayor Thomas Torralba and his wife, Arlene, tried to swap positions. The husband ran for mayor and the wife, for vice mayor. The people of the town, however, had other ideas. They instead voted for the couple’s rivals, sending a clear message that they wanted change. Thomas was beaten by Maximo Cajigal, former councilor, and Arlene, by Alwyn Rubio, Cajigal’s running mate. Thomas had served as mayor for three terms. Arlene replaced him from 2010 to 2016. They were known as allies of the Marcos family, but the Nacionalista Party, which had been identified with the Marcoses, supported the Cajigal-Rubio tandem. “A new morning has come,” chanted Cajigal’s supporters as the Commission on Elections proclaimed him and other newly elected officials of the town.

In Palanan, Isabela province, the Bernardo family kept its 30-year grip on power in the town known for being where Emilio Aguinaldo made his last stand against American soldiers in 1901. But the mayor-elect, Angelito Bernardo, brother of outgoing Mayor Angelo Bernardo, suffered from  cardiac arrest on Sunday. He is due to be discharged from the hospital this week. Leilanie Adriano and Villamor Visaya Jr., Inquirer Northern Luzon

CAGAYAN

P-Noy bet wins after error fixed

A close ally of President Aquino was proclaimed governor-elect of Cagayan, after the Commission on Elections (Comelec) rejected a complaint filed by his rival over canvass delays attributed to erroneous transmission of mock poll results. Manuel Mamba, former chief of the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office, was proclaimed by the provincial board of canvassers  at 2 p.m. on Friday.

The board denied a petition to stop the proclamation that was filed by Mamba’s closest contender, Cristina Antonio. The board found that the official tally submitted to it from the towns of Ballesteros, Enrile, Rizal and Sanchez Mira were figures from mock elections held to test vote-counting machines in February.

The actual results from the four towns had to be delivered directly to the board, said lawyer Ronnel Nicolas, board vice chair.

Nicolas said Antonio’s petition was denied because the grounds cited by her lawyers did not qualify as preproclamation issues. He did not elaborate.

Comelec figures showed Mamba got 177,712 or 38.2 percent of total votes.

In an earlier statement, the camp of Antonio said technical problems that suspended canvass since Monday were disturbing. Melvin Gascon, Inquirer Northern Luzon