LP bets dominate Bohol polls

TAGBILARAN CITY, Philippines  â€” The Bohol provincial board of canvassers (PBOC) has completed last Friday the canvassing of votes and proclamation of all winning provincial and municipal candidates for different elective positions.

The final results showed that Liberal Party bets, mostly reelectionists, dominated the winning column and that more women have won major seats in the LGUs around the province.

LP reelectionists Gov. Edgar Chatto and Vice Gov. Concepcion Lim led the party's onslaught of the provincial and municipal posts, except for the city and congressional seats, which went mostly to either the Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC) or the National Unity Party (NUP).

The only LP winner for Congress seats was re-electionist 1st district Rep. Rene Relampagos who routed City Mayor Dan Lim of the NPC, while NPC's 2nd dist. Rep. Aristotle Aumentado defeated LP's Mayor Roberto Cajes of Trinidad town, and 3rd dist. Rep. Arthur Yap (NPC) won reelection unopposed.

In the city, Councilor John Geesnel Yap (NUP) defeated Dodong Gonzaga (LP) for the mayoralty seat, but LP's Toto Veloso edged out Councilor Anna Mariquit Oppus (NUP) for the vice mayoralty.

A total of 29 LP bets won as mayors out of 47 towns. Eight of them won in the 1st district, consisting of 14 towns, but 10 of them won the vice mayoralty seats. In the 2nd district, consisting of 14 towns, seven LPs won the mayoralty and seven won the vice mayoralty, while in the 3rd district, consisting of 19 towns, 14 LPs won the mayoralty and 14 won the vice mayoralty.

Meanwhile in Siquijor, the LP bets won three of six mayoralty seats and three more for the vice mayoralty, but the top three provincial posts-governor, vice governor and representative-were won by the LPs, in a feat that toppled the decades-old stronghold of the Fua family.

Further assessment of the results in Bohol showed also that more female candidates won, mostly of the LP and against male incumbents, 16 of them taking the mayoralty and six for the vice mayoralty seats. Eleven of the female winners for the mayoralty were in the 3rd district.

In Pilar town, businesswoman Necitas “Nita” Tabaranza Cubrado, in a comeback after her failed attempt in 2010 polls, defeated incumbent Vice-Mayor Fredo Bernante (her former runningmate) by a slim margin of 48 votes. In Dauis town, businesswoman and neophyte Miriam Sumaylo (LP) beat incumbent Mayor Jaime Jimenez; in Danao town, neophyte Natividad Gonzaga of UNA trounced her nephew, incumbent Vice-Mayor Jose Cepedoza.

In Panglao town, resort operator Nila Montero of PDP-Laban, crushed her opponent, incumbent Mayor Benedicto Alcala, of the LP; in Garcia-Hernandez town, businesswoman Tita Baja-Gallentes of LDP won over incumbent Mayor Miguelito Galendes; and in Loboc town, Helen Calipusan-Alaba (LP) beat incumbent Vice-Mayor Louie Digal.

In Valencia town, LP's Maria Katrina Lim, trashed her opponent Ben Gamalo of the UNA, while newcomer Juliet Dano of the NP defeated incumbent Mayor Nene Digal of Sevilla town.

Those from the LP who won reelection as mayors were: Rosemarie Lim-Imboy of Loay town; Rina Salazar of Lila, who was unopposed; Maria Fe Piezas of Guindulman; Esther Tabigue of Mabini; and Tesalonica Boyboy of President Carlos P. Garcia town.  (FREEMAN)