DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 12 May) – Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. is leading in 25 of 27 provinces in Mindanao and 32 of its 33 cities in partial and unofficial results from the Commission on Elections’ transparency server, with Sarangani and Lanao del Sur and its component city, Marawi, voting for their own sons – Emmanuel Pacquiao and Faisal Mangondato.
Mindanao, which suffered much under the Marcos dictatorship and was the lone island grouping in the country that solidly voted against Marcos in the 1986 snap Presidential elections, is in 2022, according to the unofficial count, voting into office the son of the dictator it helped oust.
Mindanao leaders who vowed support for Vice President Leni Robredo on the other hand, failed to deliver the votes for her. Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez, Jr., (Reporma) who promised about a million votes for Robredo from his province and neighboring Davao de Oro, is certain of reelection with 143,057 votes, as is Governor Edwin Jubahib with 310,947 votes.
But Robredo’s vote in the province is only a measly 39,373 against Marcos’ 470,567, according to 100% of still unofficial results aggregated by ABS-CBN’s Halalan 2022 from the Commission on Elections data.
Pacquiao, according to 98.24% of the still unofficial count is leading in his home province of Sarangani with 160,476 votes against Marcos’ 78,230 and Robredo’s 13,483.
Mangondato, according to 77.86% of unofficial tally is leading in Lanao del Sur with 142,109 votes against Marcos’ 106,974, Robredo’s 103,418, Moreno’s 22,970 and Pacquiao’s 5,813.
In Marawi City, Mangondato is leading with 24,247 votes, followed by Robredo with 15,988, Marcos with 6,549 and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso with 5,849.
Leading the gubernatorial race is reelectionist Lanao del Sur Governor Mamintal Adiong, Jr. (Lakas), who vowed a “landslide” win for Marcos during the UniTeam rally in Marawi City on March 31. His relatives campaigned for Robredo.
Also in Lanao del Sur, action star Robin Padilla, a Muslim, leads in the senatorial race with 321,653 votes followed by Lanao del Sur’s Samira Gutoc with 299,794 and Bukidnon’s Juan Miguel Zubiri with 154,480.
Gutoc topped the senatorial race in Lanao del Sur in the 2019 mid-term elections.
In Marawi City, Gutoc is leading the senatorial race with 47,640 votes followed by Robin Padilla with 45,809 and Zubiri with 20,608.
Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, Marcos’ running mate, is leading in all of Mindanao’s 27 provinces and 33 cities, with thousands or even hundreds of thousands more votes compared with Marcos’.
In Maguindanao, with 96.63% of still unofficial results, Marcos is leading with 275,712 against Robredo’s 230,674. Duterte, on the other hand is leading with 511,786 against Robredo’s running mate Francis Pangilinan’s 17,733.
Leading the gubernatorial race is reelectionist Governor Bai Mariam Sangki-Mangudadatu with 325,604 votes against the cousin of her husband, 2nd district Rep. and former three-term governor Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu with 208,083.
“Unbelievable”
In Basilan, reelectionist Mujiv Hataman, the province’s lone representative to Congress, told MindaNews he finds it “unbelievable” that Marcos is leading in his province. “Pinag-aralan ko pa” (I am still analyzing this), said the bewildered Mujiv, who had served as governor of the five-province Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao from December 2011 to February 2019, as Anak Mindanao party-list Representative from 2003 to 2010 and as Basilan’s lone Representative since 2019.
The Hatamans – reelectionist Governor Jim Hataman-Salliman, brother Mujiv and Mujiv’s wife, Sitti Djalia, the reelectionist mayor of Isabela City – are all certain of victory given the wide margins over the second in rank but with 95.79% of still unofficial results, Marcos is leading with 140,740 votes followed by Robredo with 50,314 and Pacquiao with 3,815.
The governor, who is running under PDP, is leading with 117,717 votes against the Lakas bet Alfiya Akbar’s 78,947; Mujiv of the Basilan Unity Party (BUP) is leading with 133,545 votes against the United Bangsmoro Justice Party’s Yasmeen Junaid (61,097).
In Isabela City, which is part of Basilan but not part of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Sittie Djalia (BUP) is leading with 30,100 votes against the UBJP bet, Sara Ismael with 13,807 based on 87.4% of still unofficial results.
There are other Hatamans and Sallimans also running for various posts and are also certain of victory.
The Hatamans hosted the Sahaya BasiLeniyo rally for Robredo and Pangilinan on March 16 with a record-breaking crowd of around 40,000. Ahmed, nicknamed Amin, eldest son of Mujiv and Sitti Djalia, sang a song he composed with Khrystel Kate Beron, “Rosas na Umaga” to rally more support for the tandem. Ahmed ranks second in the provincial board’s first district tally.
It was the first time in 30 years that a Presidential candidate campaigned in Basilan. The last was Jovito Salonga in the 1992 presidential election.
Rep. Hataman had earlier said that the Moro people should not forget the sufferings they went through under the Marcos dictatorship. Among the presidential candidates, he said, Robredo is the “best chance ng Bangsamoro magtuloy-tuloy ang kapayapaan na tinatamasa natin ngayon” (best chance to continue enjoying the peace we have now).
Sulu Governor Sakur Tan, who was among the BARMM governors who pledged support for Marcos at the Manila Hotel on April 22, acknowledged in his speech that Basilan is a “Leni country” but addressing Marcos, said, “ipapakita ko Sir, na Marcos country yan” (I will show you, Sir, that that is a Marcos country).
Robredo-Sotto, Robredo-Sara
Political leaders who endorsed a Robredo-Tito Sotto tandem or RoSa for Robredo and Sara Duterte, failed to deliver for Robredo and even Sotto.
In Davao del Norte, aside from failing to deliver votes for Robredo, the Reporma party under Alvarez also failed to deliver for Reporma’s bet, Senate President Tito Sotto.
Marcos’ running mate, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, is leading with 500,116 votes against Reporma’s bet Sotto with 33,598 and Senator Francis Pangilinan, Robredo’s running mate, with 10,494.
MindaNews sought Alvarez for an explanation of the Davao del Norte vote but he has not replied.
In Davao de Oro, the Reporma candidate, Dorothy Gonzaga, is also certain of victory, according to 100% of unofficial results. But de Oro also went for Marcos (343,929) against Robredo’s 22,677 and Pacquiao’s 41,861.
In Misamis Oriental, two gubernatorial bets – outgoing Cagayan de Oro and former Governor Oscar Moreno and Rep. Juliette Uy vowed support for Robredo (Moreno for Robredo-Kiko Pangilinan and Uy for RoSa), are third and second in ranking, according to 100% of still unofficial results, with Peter Unabia leading the race.
Unabia garnered 248,859 votes against Uy’s 182,130 and Moreno’s 89,404.
In the presidential race, Marcos is leading with 386,706 votes, followed by Pacquiao with 76,766 and Robredo’s 58,306.
In Agusan del Sur, which also declared support for RoSa, Marcos is leading with 152,029 votes against Robredo’s 144,176 and Pacquiao’s 35,882.
In Surigao del Norte, where Governor Francisco Matugas endorsed Robredo a few days before the May 9 polls, Marcos is also leading as the Barbers brothers appear headed for victory.
Former Surigao del Norte Governor Lyndon Barbers is leading the race with 159,900 votes against Matugas’ 141,784, according to 96.72% of still unofficial results.
Marcos is leading with 219,284 votes against Robredo’s 44,578 and Pacquiao’s 29,949.
In Surigao del Sur where 2nd district Rep. Johnny Pimentel and majority of Surigao del Sur town mayors declared support for RoSa, Marcos is also leading, with Robredo on the third spot, according to 100% of still unofficial results.
Marcos has 249,177 votes against Pacquiao’s 58,632 and Robredo’s 45,812.
Marcos and Climaco
In Zamboanga City, whose outgoing Mayor, Maria Isabelle Climaco, is the Mindanao convener for RoSa, Marcos is also leading with 222,178 votes against Robredo’s 54,332 and Pacquiao’s 25,672.
Climaco is ending three terms as mayor and is seeking to return as Representative of the 1stcongressional district, a post she held for two terms from 2007 to 2013.
Khymer Adan Olaso is leading the congressional race with 71,717 votes against Climaco’s 54,035.
Climaco’s uncle, Cesar Cortes Climaco, the legendary mayor of Zamboanga City, was among those who defied the Marcos dictatorship, swore not to cut his hair until democracy is restored and even put up a huge scoreboard in front of City Hall where he recorded human rights violations under Marcos.
Days after the assassination of former Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino, Jr., Climaco had a wall in Abong-abong Park painted with the image of an assassinated Ninoy and a caption on his assassination that ended with Ferdinand E. Marcos, under whose name he wrote, Son Of Batac, the letters S, O, B, painted in red.
Climaco was gunned down on November 14, 1984 as he was mounting his motorcycle to return to the office after inspecting a fire scene. The gunman shot his nape at close range. His killing remains unsolved. (Carolyn O. Arguillas / MindaNews)
