Landslide victories for Bautista, Belmonte

MANILA, Philippines - Winning by landslide, incumbent Quezon City Vice Mayor Herbert Bautista and running mate Joy Belmonte were proclaimed as the new Quezon City mayor and vice mayor, respectively. 

Bautista received votes totaling 497,965, while his closest rival Michael Defensor got 126,246 votes.

Belmonte, meanwhile, got a total of 501,129 votes, while her strongest contender, former actress Aiko Melendez, got a total of 121,941 votes.

Bautista thanked the residents of Quezon City for their support and said he would focus on “institutional projects” and continue to implement the priorities of the current administration.

“Now is the time for us to unite for the continuous progress of Quezon City,” he said.

Belmonte, the daughter of outgoing mayor and newly proclaimed District 4 Rep. Feliciano “Sonny” Belmonte Jr., said she would focus on social services for the marginalized sector because of her working experience in non-government organizations. Her priorities are the creation of health care, education and livelihood programs.

Belmonte also wants to make Quezon City more conducive to doing business.

In the congressional race, the proclaimed winners are Vincent “Bingbong” Crisologo (District 1), Winston Castelo (District 2), Jorge Banal (District 3).

The winning candidates for councilor are Joseph Juico, Francisco Calalay, RJ Belmonte, Dorothy Delarmente, Alex Herrera and Anthony Crisologo in District 1; and Mary Grace Castelo, actor Alfred Vargas, Eden Medina, actor Roderick Paulate, Julienne Medalla, and Godofredo Liban for District 2.

The winners for District 3 are Julian Coseteng, Allan Reyes, Jaime Borres, Jose Mario de Leon, Giancarlo Sotto, and Eufemio Lagumbay.

For the fourth district, the winners are Edcel Lagman Jr., Jesus Suntay, Jessica Daza, Raquel Malangen, Vincent Belmonte and Marvin Rillo.

Bautista said he is glad that most Liberal Party candidates in Quezon City won in the local elections.

“Quezon City really is an opposition country and the Liberal Party will definitely do what is best for our country,” he said.

He said it is important for the party to sweep up most of the seats in local government so it can have a “link to the national government.

LP standard-bearer Sen. Beningo “Noynoy” Aquino III got the most number of votes — 362,355 — in Quezon City among all the presidential candidates.

Aquino was followed by former president Joseph Estrada of the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PM) with 205,206 votes and administration candidate Gilbert Teodoro with 86,878 votes.

In the vice presidential race, Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay of PM got the most number of votes in the city with 361,841. He was followed by LP’s Sen. Manuel Roxas III with 301,231 votes, and Bagumbayan’s Bayani Fernando with 48,902 votes.