Espinas win big in Biliran

NAVAL, Biliran, Philippines – Commitment to public service and hard work earned the Espina clan in this island province a landslide victory during the May 9 elections.

Roger Espina ran unopposed and won a third term as representative of the lone district of Biliran. A former  governor who served for three terms, he was a  finalist in the search for most outstanding governor in the 2006 Local Government Leadership Awards by the Local Government Academy of the Philippines for his hands-on approach in public service.

Gerry Boy Espina, who was elected to a third term as governor, also ran unopposed. Under his watch, the island province was awarded the seal of good housekeeping in 2011 and 2013 and the Seal of Good Local Governance in 2015.

Rudy Espina, twin brother of the congressman, also won by a wide margin as mayor of Kawayan town, the province’s third  largest municipality by population. The pro-poor programs he implemented through the bottom-up budgeting participatory approach were hailed as best practices by other municipalities.

Gerard Roger Espina, the 30-year-old son of the congressman and a member of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, won the hotly contested mayoralty race in Naval, the capital town of Biliran. The youngest member of the provincial board authored the most number of ordinances and resolutions in the past three years. He established a lead of nearly 9,000 votes, the widest vote margin ever recorded in this province, over his rival.

The younger Espinas are carrying out the legacy of the late congressman Gerry Espina Sr., a former assemblyman of Manila who returned to his roots in Biliran in the ’90s to help lead a period of change and progress.