Atienza proclaimed

The Ninoy Aquino Memorial Stadium became a venue for celebration by watchers and supporters of Manila Mayor Lito Atienza after the Commission on Elections (Comelec) formally announced his landslide victory.

With 255,021 votes, Atienza earned a second term made more distinct as he defeated his predecessor, former Interior Secretary Alfredo Lim, who himself had endorsed him in the 1998 mayoralty race. Atienza lost to Lim’s own predecessor, Mel Lopez, in the 1988 elections.

The tally, however, for his opponents, including former Rep. Amado Bagatsing was not immediately available as Comelec-Manila failed to provide a breakdown of the voting. The massive canvassing board put up by the poll body remained blank throughout the week it held its official canvassing.

In the unofficial quick count of the National Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel), Atienza led Lim by about 30,000 votes with almost 70-percent of the total votes cast counted.

Also proclaimed by the Comelec was incumbent Vice Mayor Danny Lacuna, who even had a bigger winning margin over his rivals, with 327,513 votes. Lacuna is the running mate of Bagatsing, while Atienza’s running mate, former City Administrator Ernesto Dionisio, was a distant second.

The victories of Atienza and Lacuna highlighted the victories of almost all of Manila’s incumbent local officials. Four of the five reelectionist congressmen of the city’s six congressional districts won, too.

Proclaimed in District 1, (Tondo) was Ernesto Nieva; District 2 (Tondo), Jaime Lopez; District 3 (Sta. Cruz, Binondo, Quiapo), Harry Angping; District 4 (Sampaloc), Rudy Bacani; District 5 (Ermita, Malate), Joey Hizon; and District 6 (San Miguel, Pandacan, Sta. Mesa), Mark Jimenez.

Except for Lopez, who reclaimed his congressional seat from former councilor Nestor Ponce and Jimenez, who narrowly won the vacated District 6 congressional post, all the proclaimed congressmen are incumbents.

Comelec-Manila, meanwhile, deferred the proclamation of the winning councilors of District 5 after a protest was given due course by the Comelec central office. All the winning councilors are also mostly incumbents.