Angaras top Aurora polls

BALER, Aurora — The Angaras have lorded it over the Aurora polls.

A sister, the only son and a brother of Sen. Edgardo Angara, president of the Lakas ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP), won as governor, congressman and this capital town’s mayor, respectively, and were among the first to be proclaimed by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) as winners in last Monday’s polls.

Meanwhile, the final and official Comelec tabulation here showed that Aurora was a bailiwick of opposition presidential standard bearer Fernando Poe Jr. who garnered 42,282 votes against his closest rival, President Arroyo, who got 16,755 votes.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson got 7,492 votes; televangelist Eddie Villanueva, 4,754; and former Sen. Raul Roco, 1,911.

Jojo Librando, provincial officer of the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) based here, said Rep. Bellafor Angara-Castillo trounced former governor Edgardo Ong, husband of incumbent Gov. Carmencita Ong, in the gubernatorial race.

Castillo-Angara garnered a total of 44,538 votes against Ong’s 27,56. Another gubernatorial candidate, Jardi Callos, got only 47 votes.

On the other hand, Angara’s son, Juan Edgardo, won over Estrello Ong for the province’s lone congressional seat.

Juan Edgardo garnered 48,664 votes, posting a wide margin over Ong’s 18,872.

Meanwhile, Angara’s brother Arthur won as mayor of Baler.

The Ongs ran under the banner of the administration Lakas-CMD (Christian-Muslim Democrats) party, and the Angaras, the Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP).

Librando said elections in this province were "generally peaceful and orderly."

In the vice presidential race, Sen. Loren Legarda topped the Aurora count with 49,756 votes, with her closest rival, Sen. Noli de Castro, garnering 21,282 votes. Herminio Aquino wound up with 789 votes, and Rodolfo Pajo, a mere 43 votes.

The top 12 senatorial candidates in this province were Jinggoy Estrada (40,686 votes), Juan Ponce Enrile (36,077), Bong Revilla (35,402), Alfredo Lim (34,679), Aquilino Pimentel (33,666), Mar Roxas (33,494), Jamby Madrigal (32,737), Ernesto Maceda (32,295), Lito Lapid (26,406), Pia Cayetano (23,720), John Osmeña (23,493) and Richard Gordon (22,112).

Angara-Castillo’s vice gubernatorial running mate, Anabelle Tangson, defeated the incumbent, Pedro Ong Jr., 38,910 votes versus 28,620 votes.

Besides Baler mayor-elect Arthur Angara, the local Comelec also proclaimed the following winners: Ariel Pitong in Ma. Aurora town, Jimmy Ilarde in Dingalan, Danilo Tolentino in Dipaculao, Reynaldo Bitong in Casiguran, Marlyn Marques in Dinaluyan, and Vicente de la Cruz in Dilasag.

Also proclaimed provincial board members were Sherwin Paay, Zenaida Querejero, Benjamin Mapa, Philip Bautista, Narciso Amansec, Renato Pascua, Joselito Cabawatan and Pablo Miran.

While Aurora was classified last year as part of Central Luzon, the Comelec regional office in the City of San Fernando, Pampanga said the province still remains under the jurisdiction of the Comelec’s Southern Tagalog office.