Merry mix of old, new faces in Davao City polls

DAVAO CITY — It’s a merry mix of old and new faces that emerged from last Monday’s barangay elections in this city, the leading growth center in this part of the country.

The mix includes those endorsed by Mayor Rodrigo Duterte under his Hugpong sa Katawhan sa Dabaw party (47 of the city’s 127 barangays), those affiliated with the camp of first district Rep. Prospero Nograles (37), and the rest, who ran without any political backing.

The incumbents succeeded with their built-in edge, while only four of 19 local mediamen who ran actually won.

With the elections over, Duterte prodded the winning candidates to immediately buckle down to work.

But as in other elections, charges of massive cheating and vote-buying have been hurled.

Lirio Joquiño, Southern Mindanao director of the Commission on Elections, however, said no official complaints have yet been filed.

There were reports that votes were bought for P100 to P300 each, while other candidates distributed packs of sardines, rice and noodles hours before the polls opened. — Edith Regalado