Across the Country

Abad wins in Batanes

BASCO, Batanes — Liberal Party national president and House Committee on Appropriations chairman Rep. Florencio "Butch" Abad showed no mercy in beating his opponent in the contest for the province’s lone congressional district in Monday’s election.

Partial unofficial election results show Abad garnering 4,519 votes over journalist Prescilla Yadan (Lakas) who has 1,606 votes.

In the race for governor, reelectionist Vicente Gato (LP) defeated former Gov. Telesforo Castillejos (Lakas) who is on a comeback trail, after completing three terms at the helm of the provincial government in 1998. Gato has 3,647 votes against Castillejos’ 3,478. — Jack Castaño III

Joson turf unthreatened

CABANATUAN CITY — Reelectionist Nueva Ecija Gov. Tomas Joson III of the opposition Nationalist People’s Coalition-Bagong Lakas ng Nueva Ecija (NPC Balane) has set a huge lead over three term third district Rep. Pacifico Fajardo of the ruling Lakas-NUCD based on the initial returns for the gubernatorial race in the province.

Joson posted early leads in Cabanatuan City, Bongabon, Gen. Natividad, Sta. Rosa and in the southern towns of Gapan, Gen. Tinio, San Leonardo, Peñaranda, Cabiao and Jaen.

He even led Fajardo by over 1,000 votes, 5,400 to 2,221 in his hometown Palayan City.

In the vice gubernatorial derby, reelectionist Vice Gov. Eduardo Joson IV got 22,377 votes as against Fajardo’s running mate Anita Magbitang-Chauban’s 8,595.

Joson’s eldest son, Edward Thomas, is trailing Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP) congressional bet Aurelio "Oyie" Umali in the third district. Palayan Mayor Leonora Fajardo is at third with 3,229.

Greg Manuel, brother-in-law of Joson’s brother, Quezon Mayor Mariano Cristino, is trailing Raul Villareal in the fourth district. Manuel got 1,602 votes while Villareal has 2,987. — Manny Galvez

MNLF leader up in Cotabato

COTABATO CITY — The secretary-general of the Moro National Liberation Front is leading in the initial tally of votes for the mayor of this city, seat of the MNLF-led Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Initial unofficial tabulations showed that as of 2 a.m. yesterday, Datu Muslimin Sema, Lakas-NUCD’s official candidate for mayor here, already had 11,210 votes, compared to his two rivals who only garnered more than 5,000 votes each.

Sema was mayor of this city for almost three years since June 30, 1998, but relinguished the post last March to a rival, Engr. Rodel Mañara, who was proclaimed by the Commission on Elections as the real winner in the 1998 mayoralty race here. — John Unson

Duterte leads in Davao

DAVAO CITY — It appears that Davao City first district Rep. Rodrigo Duterte is headed to recapture the City Hall as shown by the unofficial election results in the canvassing of the Commission on Elections here yesterday afternoon.

Early results yesterday bared Duterte garnered 139,167 votes as against De Guzman’s 111,847 votes after votes from almost half of the city’s total precincts were canvassed.

Duterte’s runningmate incumbent vice mayor Luis Bonguyan also edged his rivals councilors Juan Pala and Pilar Braga.

Former Congressman Prospero Nograles, on the other hand, also won hands down over his rivals for the city’s first district congressional seat which Duterte vacated.

Re-electionist third district Rep. Ruy Ellas Lopez also enjoyed a landslide victory over the candidacies of his uncle Jose Lopez and Sonja Habana Rodriguez.

But early election results yesterday indicated a close fight between Councilor Simforio Alterado and Vince Garcia for the second district congressional seat which Rep. Manuel Garcia vacated after completing three consecutive terms.

Meanwhile, incumbent Davao del Norte Gov. Rodolfo del Rosario defeated in Monday’s polls former Agriculture Secretary Roberto Sebastian who ran as the official candidate of the People Power Coalition. — Edith Regalado

Drilon No. 1, Miriam No. 14 in Iloilo

ILOILO CITY — Administration senatorial candidate Franklin Drilon, leads the poll in Iloilo based on unofficial election returns from the Namfrel.

Noli de Castro who has been leading the poll in the national level turned out 10th in the senatorial candidates.

Another Ilonggo senatorial candidate Perfecto Yasay Jr., is in 8th place with 10,976 votes.

Opposition candidate Miriam Defensor-Santiago, who is an Ilonggo, is in the 14th position.

On the congressional district of Iloilo City race, incumbent representative Raul Gonzalez, one of the prosecutors during the Estrada impeachment, again won as Iloilo City lone district representative after he got 12,996 votes against his opponent who got only 1,519 votes. — Leo Solinap

Dys lead rivals in Isabela

The influential Dy clan continues to dominate Isabela politics by leading their respective rivals with Rep. Faustino Dy Jr., easily taking the governorship a week after the Commission on Elections disqualified his lone rival, former Angadanan town mayor Noli Siquian.

However, the other Dy brothers are hanging for dear life. Faustino Dy III, a three term Cauayan City mayor, is being threatened by former local broadcast journalist Grace Padaca in Isabela’s third district; Cezar Dy is leading former police general Bartolome Mallillin by a slim margin for Cauayan City mayor, while Pol is running neck to neck against incumbent mayor Manuel Alejandro and Rep. Ramon Reyes for the mayorship of Alicia town. — Charlie Lagasca

Agbayani is it in Pangasinan

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan — Gov. Victor Agbayani of the Lakas-NUCD is now leading in the gubernatorial race here against his lone opponent, Pangasinan second district Rep. Teodoro Cruz of the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino.

As of 10:55 a.m. yesterday, partial unofficial results in the province’s six district showed Agbayani with 239,577 votes against Cruz’s 78,474 of the 318,051 votes cast.

Meanwhile, former Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr., LAKAS-NUCD national chairman who is on his comeback bid for Pangasinan’s fourth district is enjoying a wide lead over his lone opponent, Alfredo Quinto Sr., as an independent candidate.

Based on partial unofficial result, De Venecia had garnered about 93 percent of the votes in all the four towns in his district.

Board member Arthur Celeste is leading in the congressional fight in the first district.

In the second congressional district, Lingayen Mayor Ernesto Castañeda is ahead, while re-electionist third district Rep. Generoso Tulagan and Mark Cojuangco, son of business tycoon, Danding Cojuangco, is enjoying a very comfortable margin in the fifth congressional race.

Former National Electrification Administration Administrator Conrado Estrella III is leading incumbent Rep. Ranjit Ramos Shahani with 47,533 votes against Shahani’s 31,236. — Eva de Leon

Amante ahead in Agusan del Norte

Erap Impeachment Prosecution team member Rep. Roan Libarios is in danger of losing his seat in Agusan del Norte's second district to former Executive Secretary Edelmiro Amante.

As of 3 p.m. yesterday, initial poll results showed Amante leading Libarios, an original Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino member who supported former President Joseph Estrada in 1998 but went to the opposition during Estrada's impeachment.

Amante, a former assemblyman and three-term congressman, was founding member of Lakas NUCD. — Ben Serrano