Father and 2 sons to vie for mayor of Tabuelan

A father and his two sons will be pitted against each other in a three-cornered fight for the mayoralty of Tabuelan in the coming May 14 elections.

Each of the three cognate protagonists has held the position, one after the other, from the 1990s to the present.

The father, Casiano Gerona, was the town's mayor for three terms until 1998. His younger son, Rex, succeeded him and got reelected for a second term until 2004. The older son, Raul, is the incumbent mayor.

A political feud between the two siblings had started to develop however when Rex announced recently his intention to run for mayor while the incumbent Raul intends to go for a reelection.

The older Gerona, known to the constituents as "Mano Casi" or the "old man", has decided to step into the fray in a manner that he perceived as an act of nipping the bud of friction between his two sons.

Mano Casi announced lately to the public that he would run for the mayoralty himself so that not one of his two sons could get the position instead.

He said that he would like to end the confusion and division among the people also, citing a statement from one supporter during his recent visit to a mountain barangay of the town: "Naglibog naman hinoon mi Mano Casi kon kinsa amo botohan."

Mano Casi said he already convinced his son Raul to stop from seeking reelection because he would be the one to run for mayor with his other son Rex as his partner for vice-mayor.

This move was to preserve the unity of their family and their supporters, said Mano Casi adding that Raul would not give in. "Ang amo sabot nga usa lang ka termino siya molingkod, dili naman hinoon mobarug," the old man said.

Raul was reported earlier to have made up his mind to run for another term against any opponent, even if it would be his brother Rex.

With Mano Casi getting himself into the town's political arena, Tabuelan would have a choice for a mayor from among the Gerona family. - Gregg M. Rubio/RAE