Senator Legarda ends 32-year rule of Javier clan in Antique

By: Emme Rose Santiagudo

Senator Loren Legarda has ended the 32-year stronghold of the Javier clan in Antique after the May 13, 2019 midterm elections on Monday.

Legarda stymied the plan of former congressman Exequiel Javier to replace his son, incumbent Rep. Paolo Javier, who also lost to incumbent Governor Rhodora Cadia in the gubernatorial race.

The defeat of the Javiers marked the first election since 1987 that the clan failed to secure a political post.

Legarda was proclaimed the new congresswoman of the lone district of Antique Tuesday, sweeping all of the province’s 18 towns, with 199,187 votes (74%) against former Governor and Congressman Exequiel Javier’s 69,716 votes (26%), one of the largest margins of victory in the 2019 elections.

Cadiao defeated Paolo Javier with a margin of 90,488 votes.

Now on her second consecutive term in the Senate, Legarda’s victory in Antique also marked her first entry into local politics.

“By the grace of God, we have become victorious. I thank all Antiqueños who voted for me, especially those who supported me from the start. This victory is not for me alone, but for Antique and the Antiqueños. We are determined to do more in Antique in the next three years than has been done in the last 30 years, and prove that every province has the potential to bring prosperity to its people,” Legarda said in her official statement.

With her victory, Legarda vowed to make Antique a role model for sustainable development.

“I ran for Congress to bring my two decades of Senate work to the grassroots, and make Antique a role model for sustainable development to the rest of the country,” she said.