Samar’s 1st lady governor sworn in

CATBALOGAN, Samar — The first woman governor of Samar, Milagrosa Tan and reelected Vice-Gov. Ernesto Arcales led the reelected and new provincial officials in taking their oath of office here yesterday afternoon before regional trial judges.

In a simple ceremony held at the Samar Provincial Auditorium, Tan was sworn in by Executive Judge Sinforiano Monsanto, one of the only eight Centennial Judge Awardee all over the Philippines, at around 4 p.m. and finally assumed her first term as Samar governor.

Tan defeated Roño, a known ally of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos, with her vote of 106, 429. The winning of Tan ended the long reign of Jose Roño as the political sovereign of Samar, who was mayor of Calbayog City and governor of Samar before he became the secretary of DILG, and later, deputy prime minister until 1986 and then back again as governor of Samar in 1995.

Meanwhile, newly-elected first congressional district Rep. Reynaldo Uy and reelected Rep. Antonio "Eddie" Nachura of Samar’s second district also took their oath of office yesterday afternoon before Executive Judge Sinforiano Monsanto of RTC Catbalogan.

With them were new and reelected provincial board members Ramon Dean Jr., Susano Salurio, Rosenaida Rosales, Bienvenida Repol, and Ma. Lourdes Uy of the first district and Antonio Bolasig III, Juan Latorre, Jimmy Dy, Fe Arcales and Felix Babalcon of the second district. — Ricky Bautista