7 retired cops, AFP officers trailing rivals in May polls

CABANATUAN CITY , Philippines  – It’s no game of the generals – and colonels – in the May 10 elections in Nueva Ecija, literally. 

Of the seven retired former police officers seeking mayoral posts in the province, none managed to lord it over their rivals, a week left before the polls, based on a survey conducted by survey firm Argus Polls.

Based on the survey, retired Chief Superintendent Ricardo Padilla, ex-police senior superintendents Virgilio Fabros, Tomas Hizon and Antonio Tanchoco, all mayoral bets of the Unang Sigaw Partido ng Pagbabago, retired Rear Admiral Abraham Abesamis of Liberal Party, reserved Air Force colonel Reynaldo Garcia and retired police senior inspector Rodolfo Rivera trail their opponents by wide margins based on the survey covering barangay respondents.

Hizon, younger brother of National Printing Office Director, retired police general Servando Hizon, obtained only 19 percent of survey respondents’ votes compared to the 80 percent of comebacking former vice governor Mariano Cristino Joson in the mayoral race in the Joson hometown Quezon.

Joson, uncle of Bagong Lakas ng Nueva Ecija gubernatorial standard-bearer Edward Tho-mas Joson and husband of comebacking former three-term representative Josie Manuel-Joson, is a former three-term mayor of Quezon. He was succeeded in 2007 by his son Dale. 

In Bongabon town, Padilla, former Philippine National Police regional director for Southern Tagalog, obtained 32 percent of respondents’ support compared to re-electionist Mayor Amelia Gamilla of Balane.

In Guimba, re-electionist Mayor Francis Steven Dizon mustered 56 percent of the respondents compared to the 27 percent of Fabros, a former provincial police director in Ilocos Sur.

In Gen. Tinio, re-electionist Mayor Virgilio Bote, eyeing an unprecedented fifth term, leads Abesamis, 61-38 while in nearby San Isidro, Tanchoco brings up the rear in a three-way race with re-electionist Mayor Sonia Lorenzo and outgoing Vice Mayor Cesario Lopez. Lorenzo and Lopez are tied at 36 percent each while Tanchoco settled for 28 percent.

In Cabanatuan City, Rivera of the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan is virtually unheard of, in the five-cornered fight where the front-runners are cousins Jay Vergara (71 percent), a former three-term mayor, and re-electionist Mayor Alvin Vergara (21 percent). In Palayan City, re-electionist Mayor Romeo Capinpin posted a commanding lead of 74-23 over Reynaldo Garcia, a reserved Air Force colonel.