Garcias’ hold on Cebu crumbles
CEBU CITY—Several political clans in the provinces, thought to have a viselike grip in their bailiwicks, lost big in last Monday’s elections, sending gasps of disbelief among their supporters.
The biggest upset happened in Cebu, when the Garcia family’s decades of hold on power crumbled, when their most prominent member, reelectionist Gov. Gwendolyn “Gwen” Garcia, lost to a neophyte, Pamela “Pam” Baricuatro, in a resounding defeat that most Cebuanos did not see coming.
Moreover, Garcia’s nephew, Cebu City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia, also lost his reelection bid to Nestor Archival, a city councilor backed by former Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña, who also won as Archival’s vice mayoral running mate, marking a comeback for a member of the Osmeña clan that used to dominate Cebu’s politics.
Just days before the elections, the tough-talking Gwen, 69, was thought to be indestructible, who defied a six-month preventive suspension by the Office of the Ombudsman and whose endorsement was sought by senatorial candidates for her much-touted command over the 3.4 million voters in the province.
Grateful to Digong
Gwen’s routing came in the form of Baricuatro, 58, a retired Cathay Pacific flight attendant-turned-social enterprise entrepreneur and a former board member of the Land Bank of the Philippines, whose first foray into politics went without any political machinery or support from mayors and who was not taken seriously until she got the endorsements of former President Rodrigo Duterte and his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte.
Even as the early unofficial count saw her leading the race, there were still many who thought Gwen would catch up. But on Tuesday, Baricuatro was proclaimed new Cebu governor, winning by a margin of 300,000 votes (1,107,924) against Garcia (765,051 votes).
Baricuatro won in 29 localities, including Liloan town which was the bailiwick of reelected 5th district Rep. Duke Frasco, husband of Garcia’s eldest daughter, Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco. Garcia won in 22 of 51 towns and cities.
“I am happy to win in this election. I am grateful to former President Rodridgo Duterte for endorsing me,” Baricuatro told reporters after the proclamation. “But more than that, I think the Cebuanos want change. I introduced myself to the Cebuanos and I am sincere in my desire to bring order to this province of ours.”
Garcia has not shown herself in public since Election Day but her representative tried to stop the proclamation process, telling Provincial Election Officer Marchel Sarno that a petition to disqualify Baricuatro has been reportedly received by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Manila.
Sarno, however, proceeded with the proclamation since he did not get any directive from the Comelec central office to stop the canvassing of votes as well as Baricuatro’s proclamation.
“Only the Comelec central office can stop what we are doing here. So far, we have not received any order to stop the canvassing of votes,” he said.
Political giants no more?
Unlike Garcia, her nephew Raymond was quick to accept defeat in Cebu City’s mayoral race. Raymond conceded to Archival on Monday night when Archival’s lead had widened by more than 70,000 votes.
In Marinduque, Presbitero Velasco and his son Lord Allan, both political giants in the island province, were also losing their grip on local politics.
Based on partial, unofficial results as of 1:42 p.m. Tuesday, Mel Go garnered 64,987 votes while Lord Allan was closely behind with 64,734 in the governorship race.
The elder Velasco, a retired Supreme Court justice, only received 55,689 votes in the race in the lone congressional seat, losing to Rey Salvacion who got 72,464.
Presbitero, the former governor, and Lord Allan, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, switched places in this year’s local elections after the son ended his three-year term in Congress.
In another major upset, the daughter of former Zamboanga del Norte Rep. Romeo “Nonong” Jalosjos Sr., Sushmita, lost the mayoral race in the clan’s bailiwick of Dapitan City.
All other clan members who sought office on Monday’s political exercise also lost.
Former Dipolog City Mayor Belen Uy was proclaimed as the newly elected mayor of Dapitan on Tuesday, ending the Jalosjos clan’s over two-decade grip on local power.
The clan first got a handle on the city’s leadership in 2001 through Nonong’s brother-in-law, Rodolfo Carreon Jr.
The post then went to Nonong’s younger brother Dominador Jr., younger sister Rosalina, and son Seth Frederick.
On Monday, Rosalina lost to Belen’s husband Roberto Sr. for mayor of Dipolog City, the capital, while Seth Frederick lost to the Uy couple’s son Darel Dexter in the race for governor.
Nonong’s brother Cesar lost the race for congressman of the province’s third district to an Uy ally, reelectionist Rep. Adrian Amatong.
His sister, Cecilia Carreon, lost in her bid for a seat in Congress representing the first district, trounced by reelectionist Rep. Roberto Uy Jr.
