Jalosjos leading in Zambo Norte’s congressional race

ZAMBOANGA CITY — He’s serving a life term in jail. But it seems even the thick iron grills of the New Bilibid Prison can never prevent Romeo Jalosjos from winning a third term in Congress.

Partial results of the congressional polls in Zamboanga del Norte showed Jalosjos leading his opponent by a wide margin.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) provincial office reported that Jalosjos received 5,092 votes in the municipalities of Rizal and Sibutad while his rival, James Adasa, only got 3,059.

Roderick Soronda, assistant provincial election officer, said the votes in six other towns were still being counted and he refused to comment on Jalojos’s chances until the canvassing is over.

However, vacationists from the areas where counting was being done said Jalojos was overwhelmingly leading in tallies at the precinct level.

"It is a clear manifestation that Jalosjos still enjoys the trust and confidence of his constituents despite his predicament in jail," said one Zamboanga del Norte resident who was vacationing here.

Jalosjos is languishing at the New Bilibid Prison in Mun—tinlupa City but he was allowed to file his candidacy in March for a third and last term in Congress.

He was convicted of raping an 11-year-old girl in 1998 but was able to win re-election even when he was in prison.

In this year’s elections, he ran under the Nationalist People’s Coalition and squared off with Adasa of the Lakas-NUCD.

Initially, political observers in the province expected the battle to easily go Adasa’s way.