Daily Guardian News Team
KEY races in Western Visayas saw upset wins in the May 13, 2019 elections.
In Iloilo province, third district Rep. Arthur Defensor Jr. is poised to inherit the sea of his father, incumbent Gov. Arthur Defensor Sr. after securing 473,680 votes against fourth district Rep. Ferjenel Birons 383,656, based on the partial and unofficial results from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) transparency server as of 3:50 p.m. of May 14.
Incumbent Vice Gov. Christine Garin is ahead of the vice gubernatorial race with 435,038 against Mayor Niel Beng Tupas IIIs 392,758 ballots.
In the congressional races, former health secretary Janette Garin is poise to reclaim her seat in the first district after trouncing her rival Gerry Flores.
Pavia town Mayor Michael Gorriceta is also set to take over his father, second district Rep. Arcadio Gorriceta.
In the third district, Board Member Lorenz Defensor will replace his brother Arthur Jr. after beating Board Member Manny Gallar.
Barotac Nuevo Mayor BJ Biron will succeed his father Ferjenel in the fourth district after a landslide win against lawyer Marven Daquilanea.
Fifth district Raul Tupas defeated his older brother Niel Tupas Jr. to secure his reelection.
In one of the hotly contested races in Iloilo province, retired Army general Jon Aying ended the three-decade rule of the Salcedo family in Sara town.
Aying was proclaimed winner in the mayoralty race over incumbent Vice Mayor Jay-R Salcedo, son of incumbent Mayor Ernelita Salcedo and long-time former mayor Neptali Salcedo Sr.
Aying garnered 13,739 votes based on the final and official count of the Commission on Elections and was proclaimed winner early morning of May 14.
Jay-R Salcedo got 11,803 votes.
Another mayoral bet, Azur Salcedo, garnered 385 votes.
Two Salcedos, both cousins of Jay-R, ran under Ayings slate.
Jess Salcedo won the vice mayoralty seat but Kap Mayo Salcedo landed on ninth place in the 8-seat Sangguniang Bayan race.
Four SB candidates in Ayings camp made it in the race.
REST OF REGION 6
In Capiz province, incumbent Gov. Antonio del Rosario lost his reelection bid against Vice Gov. Esteban Evan “Nonoy” Contreras by a big margin of votes.
Del Rosario of the Liberal Party (LP) only got 143,724 votes against Contreras, an independent candidate, who garnered 161,435 votes, as of 3:50 p.m. Tuesday.
Del Rosario had conceded through a post in his Facebook page.
In Antique, Senator Loren Legarda ended the reign of the Javier clan after trouncing former congressman and governor Exequiel Javier in the lone district congressional race.
Incumbent Gov. Rhodora Cadiao also defeated Exequiels son Paolo in the gubernatorial contest while Vice Gov. Edgar Denosta is assured of reelection.
In Negros Occidental, incumbent Isabela town Mayor Joselito Malabor lost to Dr. Irene Montilla by 48 votes.
Malabor, then the vice mayor in 2017, assumed the post vacated by Montilla’s husband, Enrique who died of a lingering illness.
Also, Incumbent Binalbagan Mayor Emmanuel Aranda lost to 5th District Rep. Alejandro Mirasol. Mirasol’s wife lost to Aranda in the 2016 mayoralty race. Both are former political allies.
In Himamaylan City, the decades long rule of the Bascons ended after Carminia Bascon lost the mayoral race to Raymond Tongson.
Another dramatic win is in Moises Padilla where Vice Mayor Ella Garcia-Yulo won by a large margin over her uncle, Mayor Magdaleno Peña.
Garcia got 13,056 while Peña got 5,493 votes.
The Garcias accused Peña as the one behind the ambush on the mayor-elects convoy last April 25, 2019 while campaigning at Brgy. Inolingan.
Ella’s brother Mark and nephew Michael were killed in the ambush.
Peña has denied the accusation.
Ella’s entire slate including the vice mayor and councilors also swept the election.
(With reports from Dolly Yasa, Jennifer Ponsaran Rendon, Felipe Celino and Francis Allan L. Angelo)
