Enrile’s bet proclaimed Cagayan governor

TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan – Almost two months after the May 14 mid-term elections, the provincial board of canvassers here has finally proclaimed a new Cagayan governor, despite efforts to block the re-canvassing of ‘questioned’ election returns.

Former Alcala town mayor Alvaro Antonio was proclaimed new Cagayan governor yesterday here.

Meanwhile, former governor Edgar Lara, the official candidate of the Nationalist People’s Coalition, said that his election lawyers are set to file a case seeking to nullify the proclamation of Antonio, a Lakas-CMD gubernatorial bet, before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Manila today.

Following his proclamation by the PBOC, chaired by lawyer Michael Valdez, provincial election registrar-designate, Antonio, whose candidacy was backed by influential political leaders here, including  Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile and  Rep. Manuel Mamba, immediately took his oath of office as the duly elected governor before Judge Wilma Pauig of the Regional Trial Court here.

Antonio, 54, was proclaimed at around 10:30 a.m. at the tightly-secured provincial capitol’s Kamaranan Hall, where the re-canvassing of ERs was held with the presence of lawyers of both camps.

In the re-canvassing of the questioned ERs from Lallo town, Antonio obtained 175,484 votes as against Lara’s 174,822 or a slim margin of 662 votes. Yesterday’s result was a complete reversal of last May’s canvassing wherein the incumbent governor obtained 175,336 as against 174,731 of the former three-term Alcala mayor, or a difference of only 605 votes.

Lara’s election lawyers failed to block the reconvening of the PBOC, citing a Comelec second division resolution deferring the re-canvassing of votes until Lara’s own election protest of alleged irregularities in Tuao town, which is the bailiwick of the Mambas, is resolved.