Southern Leyte gov, sister, son, in-law, allies win in local polls
TACLOBAN CITY—Southern Leyte will remain under the control of the Mercados, who dominated the May 9 elections in the province. Gov. Damian Mercado was reelected, while his younger sister Rosa Emilia won as vice-governor. The governor got 167,859 votes, while his rival, Vicente Curso Jr., obtained 15,416. The governor’s sister-in-law, Luz, was elected congresswoman of the first district, a post previously held by her husband, Public Works Secretary Roger Mercado. Luz, who substituted for her husband after Duterte named him Public Works and Highways secretary, got 74,693 votes against her closest rival, Vicente Geraldo, who garnered 10,094 votes. The political rise of the Mercados started when Roger was elected assemblyman during the last years of the Marcos regime in 1983. Roger ran as a congressman in 1987 during the onset of the administration of President Corazon Aquino. Roger’s son, Naccional, was reelected as mayor of the provincial capital of Maasin. A close ally, Maloney Samaco, was also reelected as vice mayor. A major political ally, outgoing Vice Gov. Christopherson Yap, was elected congressman of the newly created second district.
