Uncle-nephew showdown in special polls

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — It is an uncle-nephew showdown in the June 2 special election in the 5th District of Negros Occidental, to fill the vacated post of the late congressman Iggy Arroyo.

Binalbagan Mayor Alejandro Mirasol and his nephew Provincial Board Member Emilio Yulo III are up against each other for the post as both of them filed their certificates of candidacy (CoC) yesterday, the last day of filing of CoCs for the special poll.

Yulo has filed his CoC at 9:30 a.m. at the Comelec Provincial Office in Bacolod, while Mirasol filed his at 4 p.m. yesterday.   

Mirasol was endorsed by the Liberal Party, as he was the first Negros Occidental mayor to have declared publicly his support for President Aquino in the 2010 elections. He was also endorsed by the United Negros Alliance (UNA), the biggest local coalition of incumbent officials in this province.

Mirasol, who had sworn in as LP member last month, said the support of his party—LP and UNA—could help in his victory. 

Yulo, for his part, said he is banking on his almost eight years of service to the people of the 5th District to ensure his victory. He served for two terms as board member, then became acting vice governor, and now on his new term at present. “I am very confident of my chance for the June 2 special election,” Yulo said, citing a survey showing him leading over his uncle.

Mirasol, on other hand, said he does not believe in the accuracy of surveys, saying he has more faith in the support of the people whom he met every day in his daily visits to various areas of the 5th District. “I am more comfortable with their pledges of support than reading between the lines of survey results,” he said in dialect.

The campaign period will be on May 17 to 31. — (FREEMAN)