Daza scores big upset in Quezon City

In an historic fight for the congressional seat to be vacated by House Speaker and incoming Mayor Sonny Belmonte in the Fourth District of Quezon City, petite Nanette Castelo Daza, a former barangay chairperson and two-term councilor of the district, is on the way to scoring an upset against political giants former Rep. Edcel Lagman and Mayor Mel Mathay.

Edcel Lagman was a three-term Congressman from the First District of Albay and a 1998 senatorial candidate. Mel Mathay was the district’s congressional representative before serving three terms as Quezon City mayor.

Daza was the only woman candidate in a field of four other male candidates. She leads by a margin of 1,373 votes over closest rival Lagman.

When asked about the secret of her forthcoming win, she answered: "I was strongly supported by my predecessor, Speaker and Mayor-elect Sonny Belmonte. Also, I have served the district well. I have made myself available to my constituency through my years as a public servant. I was an opposition legislator in the city council. My campaigners were all hard-working volunteers, receiving meager allowances for food and transportation. And then I campaigned night and day, rain or shine, reaching out to as many warm hands as I could. With nil resources at my disposal, I was aware that my only chance against the well-oiled machinery and resources of my opponents was to reach out personally to as many people as humanly possible."