Padaca, Dy both claim lead in Isabela gubernatorial race

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya , Philippines  – The cliffhanger continued for the gubernatorial race in Isabela as the camps of re-electionist Gov. Grace Padaca and her rival, Rep. Faustino Dy III, both claimed to be leading.

Dy, 48, a three-term third district congressman, said that based on election returns his camp has received, he was leading over 46-year-old Padaca by a slim margin, expressing confidence that the remaining uncanvassed returns would affirm his victory.

Dy, according to his camp, was leading Padaca by a slim margin – 253,718 votes against the latter’s 249,311 – with at least five election returns, which could still make the difference for both candidates, still to be accounted for.

Reports from other sources, however, indicated that Padaca was leading with at least 133,000 votes against Dy’s 125,000 votes.

“If all the votes will come in, I would still be leading by 1,500 votes. Our winning is already inevitable,” said Dy, one of the scions of the late Faustino Dy Sr., Isabela’s longest-serving governor.

For her part, Padaca said, “May what’s true and right still prevail.”

Dy said the delay in the canvassing of the remaining municipal election returns was caused by technical problems in the transmission of municipal election returns.

Among the remaining uncanvassed municipal returns included those from Alicia, Ilagan and Cauayan City, which are known bailiwicks of the Dys. Cauayan, one of Isabela’s vote-rich cities, is the Dys’ hometown.

Earlier, Padaca said she was winning by a wide margin in most towns, “but they are withholding results in Cauayan (and the towns) of Ilagan, Angadanan and Alicia where we fear they will try to recover.”

Meanwhile, Dy’s vice gubernatorial running mate, three-term first district Rep. Rodito Albano, continued to mount a commanding lead with 279,263 votes over Padaca’s bet, outgoing second district Rep. Edwin Uy with 202,089 votes.