DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/05 May) – Six governors, four vice governors, three city mayors and seven congressional representatives in Mindanao have won even before the voting centers open on May 13: they are all running unopposed.
Mindanao has 26 provinces, 33 cities, 58 congressional districts and 422 towns.
The winners for governor are Agusan del Norte’s Ma. Angelica Rosedell Amante (LP), Compostela Valley’s Arturo Uy (LP), Davao del Norte’s Rodolfo del Rosario (LP), Davao Orietnal’s Corazon Malanyaon (NP), Sarangani’s Steve Solon (UNA-People’s Champ Movement) and Zamboanga del Sur’s Antonio Cerilles (NPC).
Of the six, three will be third-term governors when they assume the post on June 30: Uy, del Rosario and Malanyaon; Cerilles will be on his second; Solon is an incumbent third term vice governor while Amante is a returning governor, having served the province from 1995 to 2004.
Amante , Cerilles, Malanyaon and del Rosario were former representatives, too. Del Rosario had also served as governor from 1998 to 2004 and again from 2007.
The vice governor-winners are Del Rosario’s running mate Victorio Suaybaguio, Malanyaon’s running mate Joel Mayo Zosa Almario, Amante’s running mate Ramon Bungabong and Manuel Alameda, Sr. (LP), the running mate of reelectionist Surigao del Sur governor Johnny Pimentel.
The winners for city mayor are: Davao City’s Rodrigo Duterte (Hugpong), Cabadbaran’s Dale Corvera (LP) and Oroquieta’s Jason Almonte.
Duterte’s running mate — his son Paolo — has also won, having run unopposed like Almonte’s running mate, Harry Guantero.
The congressmen-winners are: Erlpe John Amante of the 2nd district of Agusan del Norte (Kusog Agusanon Party); Florencio Flores Jr. of Bukidnon’s 2nd district (NPC); Maria Carmen Zamora-Apsay and Rommel Amatong of the first and second districts of Compostela; Thelma Zosa Almario of Davao Oriental’s 2nd district; Sarangani’s Emmanuel Pacquiao (UNA/Peoples Champ Movement) and Davao City’s Isidro Ungab (LP) of the third district.
Amante, who is ending his third term as governor, is taking over his sister Angelica Rosedell’s post in Congress while Angelica Rosedell is taking over her brother’s post as governor, a post she previously held.
Flores was three-term mayor of Malaybalay City before he ran and won a seat in Congress in 2010. Zamora-Apsay, daughter of former three-term 1st district Rep. Manuel Zamora, is serving a second term by June 30 while Rommel Amatong, son of the late Governor and later Rep. Prospero Amatong, will be serving his third term.
Almario is serving her third term by June 30 but she had served the same district for three terms from 1987 to 1998. She is the mother of Vice Governor Joel Mayo Almario who took over her mother’s post.
Pacquiao is seeking reelection as Sarangani’s lone representative to Congress while Ungab is seeking a third term.
Some candidates for town mayors are also running unopposed, among them reelectionist Rudy Caoagdan of Makilala in North Cotabato. (Carolyn O. Arguillas/MindaNews)