Tiangco brods run unopposed in Navotas

MANILA, Philippines - Two brothers from the Tiangco clan filed their certificates of candidacy yesterday to run for Navotas congressman and mayor, and poll officials said they are running unopposed.

John Reynald “John Rey” Tiangco will run for mayor, while incumbent Mayor Tobias Reynald “Toby” Tiangco is running to represent the congressional district of Navotas.

Acting Commission on Elections (Comelec) officer Juan Carlos Vizcarra said that as of 4 p.m. yesterday, no opposition bets for mayor have surfaced.

Vizcarra said if Tiangco will be running unopposed, a formal counting of votes will still be done. “But after counting the votes in one election precinct, the unopposed candidates may already be proclaimed as the official winners,” he said.

John Rey, 37, a businessman, is gunning to take the place of his brother under the local Partido Navoteño. His running mate is Patrick Joseph “PJ” Javier, while those running for councilors were identified as Domingo Elape, Edgardo Mano, Alfredo Vicencio for District 1 and Enrico Gino-gino, Analiza Lupisan, Florencio Araga, Clint Nicolas Geronimo, Ma. Lourdes del Rosario and Cesar Santos for District 2, all under the local party.

Comelec workers told The STAR they “envy” other Comelec offices that are “having a ball” on the last day of filing, while they are idle because the Tiangco ticket is running unopposed.

Earlier, Malabon-Navotas Rep. Josephine Veronique Lacson-Noel, who was declared the winner by the House of Representative Election Tribunal (HRET) over ousted Rep. Alvin Sandoval in a recount recently, has filed her candidacy as representative but this time for the separate district of Malabon City. She will run against former congressman Federico Sandoval.

In Malabon, City Mayor Canuto Oreta yesterday filed his COC for his bid at a third and last term at the Comelec office together with most of his councilors under the Lakas banner.

While Oreta chose to remain with the administration party, his nephew and 2007 top city councilor Antolin Aquino-Oreta is running as his vice mayor under the Liberal Party banner.

Independent candidate Erlito Baruga, a security guard, filed his COC at the last minute to run against Oreta, who said Baruga may not be competent enough to run the city.

Other independents running with Baruga is vice mayoralty bet Salvador Beo Sr., and councilor candidates Dominador de la Cruz, Gil Magdaraog Sr. and Hilda Bulaclac.