GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/29 October) — Two brothers and a sister-in-law of boxing icon and Sarangani Rep. Emmanuel Pacquiao were among the proclaimed winners in Monday’s barangay elections here.
A report released by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) here on Tuesday noted that incumbent barangay chairs Lorelei Pacquiao of Labangal and Rogelio “Roel” Pacquiao of Apopong were reelected to fresh three-year terms while neophyte Alberto “Bobby” Pacquiao won a seat at the council of Labangal.
But Pacquiao’s elder half-brother Domingo Belbestre failed in his bid for chair of Barangay Calumpang, which is considered the city’s biggest village in terms of population.
Belbestre, who listed his occupation as a businessman, is one of Pacquiao’s two half-siblings by his mother Dionisia’s first husband Alfonso.
Incumbent Calumpang barangay chair Reynaldo Salubre received a total of 5,944 votes while Belbestre only got 5,348.
Lorelei, who is the wife of the lawmaker’s younger brother Alberto, won over her closest rival by around 650 votes for her second term as chair of Barangay Labangal.
Alberto, who bannered his wife’s barangay council slate, was elected as the top councilor.
Rogelio, who is also a younger brother of the congressman, received 5,877 votes to defeat top critic Jose Paulate for the second time en route to his third and last term as chair of Barangay Apopong. Paulate only got 5,094 votes.
He initially declared to forego reelection due to his pending election protest against South Cotabato (1st District) Rep. Pedro Acharon Jr., but later decided to seek a third term “to complete his unfinished projects.”
Acharon defeated Rogelio by 7,700 votes in his reelection bid in the last May 13 local and national midterm elections but the latter immediately filed an election protest, claiming many of his supporters were disenfranchised.
The younger Pacquiao effectively withdrew his election protest when he earlier filed his certificate of candidacy for reelection.
In Barangay City Heights, reelectionist Lourdes Casabuena convincingly won another three-year term as barangay chair.
Casubuena currently heads the city’s Liga ng mga Barangay or Liga federation and represents the group at the city council. She is the incumbent president of the Liga federation in Region 12 and sits in the group’s national board.
In 2010, Casabuena defeated Rogelio Pacquiao by a single vote for the top post of the city’s Liga federation.
The other proclaimed winners were former Sangguniang Kabataan federation chair and city councilor Mark Tablazon and former local radio anchor Emir Bariquit who landed second and third, respectively, in the barangay council race in City Heights.
As of 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, city election officer Jose Villanueva said only five of the city’s 26 barangays have not proclaimed their winners and submitted the completed canvass of votes to their office.
Among the five is Barangay Siguel, where the canvassing of votes was delayed to problems with the counting at the precinct level.
Two candidates for the barangay council in Olympog and two others in Tambler came out tied for the seventh and final seat. The Comelec has yet to resolve the matter.
Under the law, a tie for an elective post shall be resolved through coin tossing. (MindaNews)