Slain solon’s widow wins in Quezon polls

Lynnette Punzalan, congresswoman-elect of Quezon’s second district, yesterday described her landslide victory over her family’s longtime political rival as vindication for her murdered husband.

Marcial Punzalan Jr. was assassinated Saturday by six gunmen in Tiaong, Quezon. His bodyguard was killed with him.

"My victory proves that the people appreciated the kind of service Jun rendered for his constituency. The people do not believe he ever protected a drug syndicate. He owes no blood debts to the people," Mrs. Punzalan said.

The congressman’s widow, running under the People Power Coalition slate, won overwhelmingly over the LDP-Puwersa ng Masa candidate, Edgardo Escueta.

A former administrator of the Philippine Coconut Authority, Escueta is a long-time rival of the Punzalans.

Punzalan was on his third term as congressman and gave way to his wife to run in his place. He and his wife campaigned for the return of the coconut levy funds back to coconut farmers, a stand strongly opposed by Escueta.

Mrs. Punzalan said that her victory, which almost matched her late husband’s triumph in 1998 when he garnered close to 95 percent of the vote, showed that there was no widespread enmity against her husband nor any compelling reason to kill him.

She admitted, however, that her victory could never make up for the loss of her husband.

Punzalan was murdered at about 9:45 Saturday evening as he arrived to attend a miting de avance at the Marcial Punzalan Sr. Sports Complex in Tiaong. The site was named after his late father, then mayor of San Antonio town, who was slain 17 years ago.