GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 15 May) – The proclamation of winning candidates in nearby Sarangani Province has remained pending after the transmission of election results from three municipalities were stalled on Tuesday due to problems with the compact flash (CF) memory cards of the precinct count optical scan or PCOS machines assigned for the area.
Department of Education superintendent Isagani dela Cruz, Sarangani provincial board of canvassers (PBOC) secretary, said they were forced to declare a recess late Tuesday afternoon due to the delayed transmission of election results from the towns of Alabel, Malapatan and Glan.
He said two CF cards reportedly malfunctioned in Glan, two in Barangay Alegria in Alabel and another in Barangay Lun Padidu of Malapatan.
The PBOC is scheduled to resume its canvassing at 8 a.m. Wednesday, he said.
Among the winning candidates who are awaiting proclamation are reelectionist Sarangani Rep. Emmanuel Pacquiao and gubernatorial candidate, incumbent Vice Gov. Steve Chiongbian-Solon, who both ran unopposed under the People’s Champ Movement-United Nationalist Alliance (PCM-UNA) coalition.
Based on partial and official results released by the Comelec as of 5 a.m. Wednesday, Pacquiao already garnered 135,670 votes while Solon received 120,983 votes.
In the vice gubernatorial race, Pacquiao’s wife Jinkee of PCM-UNA is off to a landslide win over rivals Eleanor Saguguit of the Liberal Party (LP) and independent bet Jose Lorde Villamor.
Jinkee received 125,889 votes while Saguguit and Villamor, who separately conceded on Tuesday, only got 25,977 and 4,801, respectively.
PCM-UNA’s provincial board slate swept all but one of the 10 contested seats in the province’s first and second districts as well as the mayoral race in all seven municipalities.
In the first district, PCM-UNA’s Elmer de Peralta, Alexander Bryan Reganit and Cornelio Martinez took the first three of the four provincial board seats while George Falgui of the Liberal Party stood firm on the fourth spot.
The party’s second district bets Eugene Alzate, Hermie Galzote, Virgilio Tobias, Armando Guili, Hadji Pangolima and Cesar Nallos Jr. took all six provincial board seats.
In the mayoral race, PCM-UNA’s Raul Martinez defeated LP’s Rommel Falgui in Kiamba town while reelectionist Alabel Mayor Corazon Grafilo, who ran unopposed, is awaiting proclamation.
In Glan, reelectionist Mayor Victor James Yap (PCM-UNA) is leading over brother, former mayor Enrique Yap Jr., (LP). Their sister Vivien (PCM-UNA) is off to her second term as vice mayor.
Former mayors Aniceto Lopez Jr. (PCM-UNA) of Maasim and Alfonso Singcoy Sr. (PCM-UNA) of Malapatan completed their comeback bids while outgoing Maitum Mayor Elsie Perrett’s husband Mac (PCM-UNA) is taking over the town’s mayoral post.
In Malungon, reelectionist Mayor Reynaldo Constantino (PCM-UNA) won another term but his runningmate, Jessie dela Cruz, lost to independent candidate Erwin Asgapo.