Aguilar, Villar, Abalos, Eusebio proclaimed

Re-electionist Mayor Vergel ‘Nene’ Aguilar, Vice Mayor Louie Bustamante and congressional candidate Cynthia Villar were officially proclaimed by the Commission on Elections as the winners in the Las Piñas elections.

Aguilar won an overwhelming victory for a third term, garnering more than 126,000 votes (96 percent) of the total votes cast, a first in Las Pinas’ political history. His rival garnered only a little over 2,000 votes. Based on the official Commission on Elections (Comelec) count, Villar won by a wide margin over her closest rivals.

Aguilar, Bustamante and Villar were proclaimed winners yesterday morning by the head of the city’s board of election inspectors, Ramon Rosello.

"I would like to thank our people for giving me and my partymates a landslide victory. I will always be grateful too for the overwhelming support and trust you gave me through the record electoral victory in my reelection as mayor of our city," Aguilar said.

Villar, who will be taking the place of her husband, former Speaker and three term Congressman Manny Villar – who is also on his way to clinching a Senate seat – expressed confidence that she will be able to continue the work started by her husband.

"I am deeply honored that the people of Las Piñas have chosen me to represent them in Congress. I humbly, wholeheartedly accept their mandate and will do my best to live up to their expectations," said Villar.

In Mandaluyong, reelectionist mayor Benhur Abalos was proclaimed yesterday by the Comelec the winner in the May 14 elections.

Maria Ann Lacuesta, head of the Mandaluyong Board of Canvassers, raised the hands of Abalos as mayor and his running mate Jessie Cruz, as vice mayor at around 8:30 a.m.

Abalos, of Lakas-NUCD, is a son of former city Mayor and now Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman Benjamin Abalos. He is now on his second term. His party also took 10 of the 21 council seats.

Re-electionist Mandaluyong Rep. Neptali Gonzales Jr., also of Lakas, also won the election with 64,010 votes.

In Pasig City, the Comelec proclaimed Idad Eusebio as the new city mayor. Eusebio, of Lakas-NUCD, won against former Pasig City Mayor Mario Raymundo of the Aksyon Demokratiko. Eusebio will take over from her husband, incumbent Mayor Vicente Eusebio, who is now serving his third and last term. Lakas’ Lorna Bernardo also won as vice mayor against Renato Lipana.

In Valenzuela, Comelec election officer Adriano Abesamis, proclaimed last night Rep. Magtanggol "Magi" Gunigundo II and Sherwin Gatchalian as the winners in the congressional elections in the city’s two districts.

In Pateros, the Comelec proclaimed Rosendo Capco of the KAMPI-PDP Laban party and Willy Buenaventura of the Lakas-NUCD People’s Power Coalition as the duly-elected mayor and vice-mayor respectively of the municipality yesterday.With the proclamation, Rosendo will succeed his brother, Jose Capco, Jr., as town mayor. – Sheila Crisostomo, Rainier Allan Ronda and Nikko Dizon.