Arroyo, Cory turfs favor PPC bets, but divided over their local choices

SAN FERNANDO CITY, Pampanga — Voters in this home-province of President Arroyo and in her ally former President Corazon Aquino’s Tarlac may have shown their pro-administration bias by voting for majority of the People Power Coalition’s senatorial bets, but they were divided in their choices for local officials.

Yesterday’s tabulations of the National Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) in this province showed that nine of the administration Lakas-NUCD mayoral bets are likely to be proclaimed winners.

In the 12 other towns, the winners were either from opposition parties Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) or the Lakas ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP).

In Tarlac, Luzon Ducusin, manager of the Philippine Information Agency (PIA), said the winning mayoral bets in four out of 14 towns in the province’s three districts belong to Lakas-NUCD, and the rest from either the NPC and LDP under the Puwersa ng Masa (PnM) coalition.

The Pampanga Namfrel has wound up its tabulations of the senatorial elections with 12 PPC candidates making it to the "Magic 13" with only independent candidate Noli de Castro landing on the last slot.

In Tarlac, Namfrel chairwoman Elvira Gonzaga told The STAR that while tabulations were not yet finished as of yesterday noon, the trend was 8-5 in favor of PPC candidates.

The following mayoral candidates have either been proclaimed or are likely to be proclaimed winners in last Monday polls in Pampanga:

First district: Carmelo Lazatin (Lakas-NUCD), Angeles City; Marino Morales (Lakas-NUCD), Mabalacat, and Pastor Guiao (Lakas-NUCD), Magalang.

Second district: Catalina Bagasina (NPC), Sasmuan; Arthur Salalila (Lakas-NUCD), Sta. Rita; Joe Ray Montemayor (NPC), Floridablanca, Paterno Magcalas (NPC), Guagua, and independent candidate Dennis Pineda, Lubao. The latter is the son of Lubao Mayor Lilia Pineda who topped the list of candidates for provincial board members in the Namfrel count.

Third district: Rey Aquino (Lakas-NUCD), San Fernando City; Ernesto Punsalan (Lakas-NUCD), Mexico; Romeo Dungca (NPC), Bacolor; Federico Gaddi (Lakas-NUCD), Sta. Ana; and Benigno Espino (NPC), Arayat.

Fourth district: Leonardo Flores (NPC), Macabebe; Rodrigo Canlas (NPC), San Simon; Edgardo Flores (NPC), Minalin; Tirso Lacanilao (Lakas-NUCD), Apalit; Jay Sagum (NPC), San Luis, and Normita Evangelista (LDP), Candaba.

The PIA in Tarlac said only four Lakas-NUCD mayoral bets in the province’s 14 towns in three districts are likely to be proclaimed winners. The rest belong to either the Sama-Sama sa Tarlac (SST)-NPC or the LDP.

Ducusin identified the likely winners as follows:

First District: Vicente (SST-NPC), San Clemente; Reynaldo Malazo (SST-NPC), San Manuel; Reynaldo Madomo (SST-NPC), Sta. Ignacia; Juan de los Reyes (Lakas-NUCD), Camiling; Rodolfo Guerrero (SST-NPC), Anao; Gil Beltran (SST-NPC), Ramos; Elpidio Guevarra (SST-NPC), Paniqui; Estelito Aquino (Lakas-NUCD), Moncada; Vicente Pacada (SST-NPC), San Clemente; and Tito Razalan (Lakas-NUCD), Mayantoc.

Second district: Emmanuel Victoria (SST-NPC), Victoria; Samuel Eugenio (LDP), San Jose; Jarmes Sembrano (SST-NPC), Gerona; and independent candidate Genaro Mendoza, Tarlac City.

Third District: Leonardo Anunciacion (SST-NPC), Bamban; Benjamin Lacson (LDP), Concepcion; Benjamin Catacutan (Lakas-NUCD), Capas; and Manuel Dionisio (LDP), La Paz.

Ducusin said incumbent Tarlac Gov. Jose "Apeng" Yap, who belongs to the SST-NPC, is likely to be re-elected.

In Tarlac’s congressional race, incumbents first district Rep. Gilbert Teodoro (SST-NPC), second district Rep. Benigno Aquino Jr. (Liberal Party) and third district Rep. Jesli Lapus (SST-NPC) are likely winners.

In Pampanga, all incumbent congressmen are also likely to be declared winners. They are first district Rep. Francis Nepomuceno (NPC); second district Rep. Zenaida Ducut (NPC), third district Rep. Oscar Rodriguez (Lakas-NUCD) and unopposed fourth district Rep. Juan Pablo Bondoc (NPC).

Pampanga Gov. Lito Lapid and his vice gubernatorial running mate, presidential son Mikey Arroyo, are uncontested winners.

Tarlac Namfrel officials said the 8-5 trend in favor of PPC candidates is likely to persist to the last tabulations from Tarlac towns.

The winning senatorial bets in the following order, as of latest Namfrel tabulation in the province: Noli de Castro, Francis Pangilinan, Juan Flavier, Jun Magsaysay, Ralph Recto, Serge Osmeña, Joker Arroyo, Franklin Drilon, Manuel Villar, Edgardo Angara, Panfilo Lacson, Loi Ejercito Estrada and Miriam Defensor-Santiago.