GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/16 May) — Three former local media practitioners, all of them women, have secured seats in the legislative bodies here and in nearby Koronadal City and South Cotabato province.
Based on official results released by the Commission on Elections (Comelec), former radio anchors Elizabeth Bagonoc and Erlinda Pabi-Araquil were reelected for another term at the city councils here and Koronadal City, respectively, while another broadcaster, Esther Marin-Catorce, made it to the provincial board of South Cotabato.
Bagonoc, who was a popular anchor at the Catholic Church-run radio station dxCP before joining the political arena several years ago, finished second in the race for the 12 city council seats here.
She was first elected in 1987 and was reelected in 1992, 1995 and in the 2010 elections.
Bagonoc, who ran under the Liberal Party-Achiever’s with Integrity Movement (LP-AIM), is presently majority floor leader of the city council, which is dominated by her party.
She earlier pushed for the passage of city council resolutions supporting the live media coverage for the Ampatuan massacre trial and the amendment of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.
In Koronadal City, incumbent councilor Araquil took the ninth of the 10 city council seats for her fresh three-year term despite running as an independent.
She initially gained popularity as reporter and anchor of radio station Bombo Radyo and later of the defunct GMA Super Radyo Koronadal.
Earlier this year, Araquil resumed her radio career as anchor of the newly-opened radio station Brigada News FM in Korondal City but filed a leave of absence when the local campaign period started last March 29.
Catorce, who will complete her three straight terms as Koronadal City councilor in June, is presently at third place in the race for the seven provincial board seats in South Cotabato’s second district.
A stalwart of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), she anchored various programs at the Radio Mindanao Network’s station dxKR in Koronadal City and at the defunct GMA Super Radyo Koronadal before winning a seat at the Koronadal city council in 2004.
Catorce is currently on leave as anchor of radio station Brigada News FM in Korondal City.
On the other hand, five other former media practitioners, who were all males, lost in their election bids last May 13.
Former Bombo Radyo General Santos station manager Dante Vicente, who is popularly known as Vic Dante, failed to get a third term as city councilor after finishing 15th in the race for the council’s 12 seats.
Vicente, who ran under the LP-AIM ticket, is currently on leave as anchor of radio station Brigada News FM General Santos.
Two other former media workers — Love Ladrera of K101 FM station and Sannie Sombrio of ABS-CBN General Santos — landed 20th and 26, respectively, in the city council race here.
Ladrera was a member of the People’s Champ Movement-United Nationalist Alliance while Sombrio ran as an independent.
In South Cotabato, former Bombo Radyo Koronadal assistant station manager and three-term provincial board member Romar Olivarez (Nationalist People’s Coalition) came in 10th in the race for the board’s seven seats in the second district while former community newspaper writer and three-term board member Eduardo Siason (UNA) only finished 16th. (Allen V. Estabillo/MindaNews)