Old, new faces rule Southern Mindanao polls

DAVAO CITY — Old and new faces make an interesting mix of winners in the Southern Mindanao elections.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) proclaimed last Saturday Reynario Llanos as the new governor of Davao del Sur, succeeding his brother, incumbent Gov. Rogelio Llanos.

Llanos got 134,028 votes versus the 90,940 of his rival, Vice Gov. Antonio Sunga.

Benjamin Bautista, on the other hand, amassed 94,368 votes and defeated closest rival, Merlin Mello, who got only 67,822, to become the new vice governor of Davao del Sur.

Incumbent district Rep. Douglas Cagas also won hands down with 83,439 votes against realtor Pablo Villaber for the province’s first congressional district.

In the second congressional district, Claude Bautista won overwhelmingly with 48,393 votes over Isidro Sarmiento, who had 13,042 votes.

In Compostela Valley, incumbent Gov. Jose Caballero foiled the bid of first district Rep. Rogelio Sarmiento to become the next governor. Caballero garnered 102,158 votes versus Sarmiento’s 80,031.

Ruel Peter Gonzaga, on the other hand, is now the new vice governor, defeating incumbent Vice Gov. Rey Navarro.

Succeeding Sarmiento in Compostela’s first congressional district is Manuel Zamora who trounced Florante Garcia, with 36,632 votes versus 30,678.

Incumbent Compostela second district Rep. Prospero Amatong succeeded in his re-election bid, garnering 43,171 votes over the 40,598 votes of his opponent, mining magnate Arturo Uy.

Another interesting election highlight in Compostela Valley was the election of Joel Brilliantes, president of JB Management Corp., as mayor of the gold-rush town of Monkayo.

Brilliantes defeated incumbent Mayor Rizal Gentugaya. His mining firm, JB Management, has figured in controversies at Mt. Diwalwal.

In Tagum City, Davao del Norte, incumbent Mayor Rey Chiong Uy lost to Gelacio Gementiza, while Vice Mayor Gerardo Racho got re-elected.

In Davao Oriental, the Comelec proclaimed yesterday Ma. Elena Palma Gil and Thelma Almario as governor-elect and vice governor-elect, respectively.

Lawyer Corazon Malanyaon and Joel Mayo Almario topped the province’s first and second district congressional races, respectively.