TACLOBAN CITY- Carigara town Mayor Eduardo Ong, Sr., handily won on his reelection bid with his son and namesake also winning as vice mayor.
Mayor Ong, who will be serving his third term, obtained votes of 23,571 compared to the 4,228 votes of his opponent, Rachel Makabenta.
His son, Eduardo Jr., received total votes of 20,585 votes or higher by 13,268 votes compared to his rival, Mildred Modesto who only obtained 7,317 votes.
The incoming vice mayor of the town said that he considers it as a huge privilege to be trusted by the people of their town.
“Even though I’m one of the youngest to hold a vice mayoralty position in Eastern Visayas, I won’t take the responsibility lightly. Rest assured, I, together with the eight newly-elected councilors, will maximize this opportunity to change the lives of the people of Carigara. Thank you so much!” he said.
(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)
Father and son team among big winners in this year’s
Drunk man punctures voting counting machine; police says 66 arrested for liquor ban violation
TACLOBAN CITY- A man who was under the influence of liquor punctured a vote counting machine (VCM) in Catubig, Northern Samar on Monday night.
The suspect, identified as Efren Rosco, punctured the VCM carried by members of the board of election inspectors assigned in Barangay Osang on their way to the town proper at around 6:30 pm.
The victim also threatened the polls member headed by Clarito Irinco.
Village chairman Arnold Rosco was able to pacify the suspect until the electoral board reached the town proper safely.
According to the Police Regional Office based in Camp Ruperto Kangleon in Palo, Leyte, a total of 66 violators were arrested throughout Eastern Visayas in line with the 48-hour liquor ban imposed from May 12 to 13.
“Of these 66, 27 were arrested in Biliran in 7 operations; 23 in Northern Samar out of 6 operations; 11 in Eastern Samar out of 3 operations; 2 in Southern Leyte out of 2 operations and 3 in Tacloban in a single operation,” said Police Lieutenant Colonel Ma. Bella Rentuaya, regional public information officer.
“We did not fall short of constantly reminding the public to abide by the rules being imposed for the whole duration of the elections. Our reminders are very clear to do away from selling, buying and getting drunk while the liquor ban is still not lifted or else we will run after you,” added Police Brigadier General Dionardo Carlos, police regional director in Eastern Visayas.
During the liquor ban, selling and consuming of all alcoholic products were prohibited to prevent possible violence during the conduct of the elections.
Arrested suspects were charged for violation of Section 261 of the Omnibus Election Code.
(RONALD O. REYES)
PNP says 65 vote counting machines malfunctioned across the region during Monday’s balloting
TACLOBAN CITY- About 65 vote counting machines (VCMs) used in various polling precincts in the region have malfunctioned.
This was disclosed by Police Director Brigadier General Dionardo Carlos.
During the conduct of the balloting on Monday, 5,503 VCMs were used across the region.
Based on their monitoring, Carlos said that of the 65 VCMs that developed technical problems, 21 were in Leyte; 17 in Biliran; 12 in Eastern Samar; five in Southern Leyte; four each in Samar and Northern Samar and two in Ormoc City.
The technical glitches encountered in the polling precincts ranged from paper jams to malfunctioned machines which resulted in the delay of the voting process.
Some of these defective machines failed to read the ballots as reported.
However, the regional office of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) immediately replaced them or have them repaired.
“(But) despite of these technical problems of the VCMs, there is really nothing to worry about. It has been properly addressed by the Comelec,” Carlos said.
(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)
Region’s dynasty families among major winners
TACLOBAN CITY-Major political families of the region are to continue their grips as they won during Monday’s midterm elections.
In Leyte, the Petilla and its subgroup Loreto-Cari families, continue to dominate its political landscape.
Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla won his third term as well as his sister-in-law, Ann, wife of former energy secretary Carlos Jericho, as mayor of Palo.
Also winning were Carlo Loreto as vice governor for his third term; Carl Nicholas Cari as congressman of Leyte’s fifth district; and Jose Carlos Cari as mayor of Baybay.
The Romualdezes will also continue to dominate the other parts of Leyte, particularly its first district which includes Tacloban City.
Former congressman Martin Romualdez won on his congressional bid, replacing his wife, Yedda, who is projected to return to Congress via the party-list group. She is the first nominee of Tingog.
Romualdez’ cousin, Alfred, is sure to reclaim his post as mayor of Tacloban City, currently occupied by his wife, Cristina.
In Samar, the Tans hold of power in the province will be extended by another three years with the family’s matriarch, Milagrosa, winning the gubernatorial post currently held by her daughter, Sharee Ann.
Sharee Ann, in turn, is to occupy the post currently held by her mother. Another brother, Michael, is set to become the province’ vice governor.
However, another member of the family, Stephen James, who is the current vice governor, lost on his bid to unseat Rep. Edgar Mary Sarmiento for Samar’s first congressional representative.
The Espinas dominance in Biliran will continue as outgoing congressman Rogelio Espina is to switch position with his younger brother, Governor Gerry Boy Espina.
Rep. Espina’s son, Gerard, was elected as mayor of the provincial capital of Naval with an uncle, Rudy, also reelected as mayor of Kawayan town.
In Southern Leyte, Rep. Roger Mercado was reelected for the lone congressional district of the province with his younger brother, Damian, also reelected as governor.
In Northern Samar, the Ongs continue to dominate with Rep. Edwin Ong won as governor of the province, replacing his uncle, Jose, who would take his congressional post for the province’ second congressional district.(JOEY A. GABIETA)
DOT pushes sports tourism in EV
TACLOBAN CITY – The regional office of the Department of Tourism (DOT) is ready to assist local government units and organizations who want to organize big sports events.
Thus said DOT Regional Director Karina Rosa Tiopes who said that sports tourism falls under their MICE or Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, and Exhibitions/Events.
“We are very much supportive of entities or organizations that promotes sports tourism. The activities they do can generate more arrivals and when we say more arrivals, we means more income for those who are in the mainstream tourism industry,” Tiopes said.
“As of right now, we are already of hosting national conventions, sports competitions in some areas in the region that are relatively ready. It just need additional facilities,” the tourism regional director added.
In the region, among the biggest sports competition is the Philippine Open International Darts Championship, an event of the National Darts Federation of the Philippines of the Darts Organization of Tacloban is a member.
For two consecutive years now, the international event has been held in Palo, Leyte where close to a thousand of darts players are competing against the best competitors in said sport.
“We are giving local players a venue for them to compete with world class players, this is a big opportunity for them to face this big players in the international arena,” Florencio “Bem” Noel, national darts federation chairman of the board, said.
Bringing the competition to Leyte will also test the local darts players’ talents and nerve which will eventually hone them and make them one of the best talents in Asia and put the nation in the map as far as dart talent is concern, he added.
Noel said that the past two years that they have staged the international event in Leyte were successful which encouraged them to hold the Philippine Open tentatively set on April, 2020.
He added that from 28 foreign competitors last year, the number has now reached to about a 100 international darts players.
Noel said that some of them have already signified their interest to visit some of the region’s tourist destinations like the Kalanggaman Island in Palompon.
Another big event in the region is the annual Abre-Grande Lawig, a kayak competition held in Palompon town, Leyte.
In Tacloban City, the biggest sport competition is a dragon boat competition which is organized by the Saltwater Dragons of Tacloban City in support to the city government’s yearly commemoration of the onslaught of super typhoon ‘Yolanda.’
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
Reelectionist Leyte mayor loses by a single vote
TACLOBAN CITY- An incumbent mayor in Leyte who is seeking for a reelection lost on her bid by just a heartbreaking single vote.
Proclaimed as mayor of San Isidro town was Remedio Veloso who garnered his winning votes of 8,829 against the incumbent mayor, Susan Ang’s 8,828 votes.
Ang, who ran under the administration’s PDP-Laban, is seeking for her second term as mayor of the fourth class town with an income of about P90 million.
Her husband, Alan, also appears to be losing on his reelection bid as a board member representing Leyte’s third district.
Veloso, who belongs to the United Nationalist Alliance, was proclaimed by the members of the board of election of canvassers Monday night. The town has about 22,367 registered voters.
The newly-elected mayor of the town of more than 19,000 people spread on its 19 barangays, is the nephew of Rep. Vicente Veloso who is also on his way or gaining his second term against former congressman, Andy Salvacion.
The Leyte Samar Daily Express could not get as of press time, reactions of both Veloso and his opponent Ang.
The town of San Isidro was eyed as among areas in Leyte where violence could possibly occurred after Ang’s administrator, Levi Mabini, was gunned down on May 8 with the group of Veloso blamed for his killing which they denied.
No untoward incident, however, was reported in San Isidro during the conduct of last Monday’s balloting. (JOEY A. GABIETA)