MANILA, Philippines — Despite threats from President Duterte, the Liberal Party’s Antolin “Lenlen” Oreta III won his third and last term as Malabon mayor against Duterte’s ally, erstwhile Vice Mayor Jeannie Sandoval.
There is still no final count because of the still untransmitted results from two clustered precincts, but Oreta as of yesterday night already leads with an insurmountable amount of votes at 99,885 against Sandoval who got 55,759 votes, according to elections officer Winston Gaffud.
In an interview, Oreta thanked his constituents for a third term, and said his victory was a referendum of his first two terms despite threats against him by President Duterte.
In a speech during Sandoval’s proclamation rally, Duterte threatened to throw Oreta in Manila Bay for failing to stop the drug menace in Malabon, giving him a one month ultimatum to solve the problem.
Oreta said Sandoval is just ruining the image of the city by misinforming the President, noting that 15 of the 21 barangays in Malabon are cleared by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
He said it has not been an easy to be one of the few Liberal Party mayors, the other one in Metro Manila being newly proclaimed Muntinlupa Mayor Jaime Fresnedi, who won a third term.
Jaye Lacson-Noel, who lost to Oreta in the 2016 mayoral race, regained the lone Malabon congressional district with 85,245 votes against Sandoval’s husband Ricky Sandoval, who got 65,122 votes.
Lacson-Noel is the wife of An Waray party-list Rep. Florencio “Bem” Noel.
In an interview, Lacson-Noel said she is confident she could work with Oreta for the good of the city despite their history of political rivalry.
She said she has set aside her political differences with the mayor, whom she described as a hardworking mayor and a gentleman.
Oreta’s running mate, erstwhile councilor Ninong dela Cruz, won with 82,463 votes against Sandoval’s running mate Maricar Torres, who got 63,746.
Oreta is the son of former senator Tessie Oreta-Aquino, the aunt of former president Benigno Aquino III.