Pangasinan town barangay, SK poll bets unopposed

STO. TOMAS, Pangasinan  , Philippines  — This town made another record in the field of political exercises as all its candidates in the May 14 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections are running unopposed.

Mayor Timoteo Villar III told The STAR yesterday that only two barangays – Sto. Niño and La Luna – would elect new chairmen as the incumbents are now in their third terms. 

The rest of the villages such as Poblacion East, Poblacion West, Salvacion, San Agustin, San Antonio, San Jose, San Marcos and Sto. Domingo will reelect their chairmen.

Before filing their certificates of candidacy,  local leaders met the candidates for the barangay and SK elections.

Villar said some former barangay councilmen, who did not seek reelection after their first terms, decided to run this May and joined the convention.

Villar said there are barangays that lacked candidates for the SK election.

He said that despite being unopposed, the candidates would still campaign to show that they would not take advantage of their positions.

This town was known for having all elected officials, from the mayor down to the councilors, running unopposed during the 2013 and 2016 elections.

The last time a mayoralty candidate was opposed here was during the 1988 elections, which was won by Villar’s uncle, Antonio Villar Jr., who served for more than 20 years. 

Antonio was the only mayor during martial law who remained in his post in a hold-over capacity after the 1986 people power revolution.