Luzon, Visayas dynasties tighten grip on power

Multiple members of political clans in Luzon and the Visayas are dominating the provincial landscape for the midterm elections in May next year as the filing of certificates of candidacy (COCs) ended on Tuesday.

The Ilocos provinces are likely to remain under the control of the Marcos and Singson clans, starting with presidential son, Sandro Marcos, 30, seeking a second term as the 1st district representative in Ilocos Norte.

Sandro was accompanied by his parents, President Marcos and first lady Liza Araneta Marcos, when he filed his COC on Monday. His cousin, Ilocos Norte Gov. Matthew Marcos Manotoc, and his aunt, Vice Gov. Cecilia Araneta Marcos, also filed their candidacies for reelection on Oct. 1.

READ: Dynasties: Our spreading cancer

Also seeking reelection is 2nd District Rep. Angelo Marcos-Barba, Sandro’s uncle; and Laoag City Mayor Michael Marcos Keon.

Unopposed

The Marcoses are almost guaranteed to secure these positions, as no other candidates have challenged them, except for Keon, who is facing first-term Laoag City Councilor Bryan Alcid, who has received the endorsement of the other Marcoses.

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In Ilocos Sur, seeking reelection are the sons of political kingpin and former Gov. Chavit Singson: 1st District Rep. Ronald Singson, Vice Gov. Ryan Singson; while another son, Luis Charles Singson, is seeking the mayoralty post in Narvacan town.

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In La Union, Gov. Rafy Ortega-David is seeking reelection while her father, former La Union Gov. Pacoy Ortega, is running for representative of the province’s 2nd district.

In Pangasinan, making a bid for reelection are 5th District Rep. Ramon Guico Jr. and son Gov. Ramon III. Ramon Jr.’s wife, Maan, is running for mayor of Urdaneta City, and brother Ramon Ronald IV, runs for mayor of Binalonan.

In Baguio City, lone Rep. Mark Go is running for mayor while his wife, Sol, is seeking to take over his congressional district post. Go is challenging reelectionist Mayor Benjamin Magalong.

Switching places

In Pampanga, Gov. Dennis Pineda and his mother, Vice Gov. Lilia Pineda, switched places and will face off with gubernatorial and vice governor aspirants Danilo Baylon and former governor Fr. Eddie Panlilio.

In Camarines Sur, scions of the Villafuertes are also switching places: Last-term 2nd District Rep. Luis Raymund “LRay” Villafuerte is running for governor while his incumbent son, Vincenzo Renato Luigi, seeks to take over his father’s post. Miguel Luis, the older son of LRay and also a former governor, is seeking reelection in the 5th district.

The Villafuertes have maintained a stronghold in Camarines Sur politics since their patriarch, the late Luis Villafuerte Sr., entered public service in the late 1970s.

In Albay, the nephews of seasoned politician and Second District Rep. Joey Salceda are seeking posts: Adrian, the mayor of Polangui town, is running for the 3rd district congressional seat; Jesciel Richard, for mayor of Polangui; and Juan Miguel, for a seat in the provincial board.

Joey himself is seeking to return to his old post as governor of Albay under the administration party Lakas-CMD. He will run against reelectionist Gov. Edcel Greco Alexandre Lagman, son of Albay solon Edcel Lagman.

Greco’s sister, Tabaco City Mayor Krisel Lagman, is running for Albay’s 1st district congressional seat.

In Quezon, Lucena City Mayor Mark Alcala and his father, Vice Mayor Roderick Alcala are seeking reelection.

House Deputy Speaker David Suarez is seeking reelection unopposed as representative of the Quezon province 2nd district.

Romualdez dominance

In the Visayas, the dominant political clans are the Romualdezes, led by reelectionist Speaker Martin Romualdez, who are cousins of the Marcoses of Ilocos, the Petillas, the Javiers and the Gomezes—all of Leyte; the Garcias of Cebu, led by third-term reelectionist Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia; the Espinas of Biliran; the Mercados of Southern Leyte; the Tans of Samar; the Ongchuan of Northern Samar; and the Aumentados and Chattos of Bohol.

The reelection bid of Speaker Romualdez for Leyte’s 1st district comes alongside the candidacy of his son, Martin Jr., who is making his political debut by running for a seat in the Tacloban City Council; his wife, Yedda, who is seeking reelection as nominee of the Tingog party list; cousin Alfred, who is seeking reelection for mayor of Tacloban with son, Raymund, as his vice mayoral running mate; nephew John Lorenz, a former legislative staff at the Speaker’s office when he was majority floor leader who is entering politics for the first time by running for mayor of Tolosa, the Romualdez family’s hometown.

The Petilla family is set to maintain its grip in Leyte with the reelection bids of Gov. Carlos Jericho Petilla, his mother Remedios as mayor of Palo town, and cousin Carlo Loreto as provincial board member. The governor’s nephew, Carl Nicolas Cari, seeks to represent Leyte’s 5th district; Cari’s father, Jose Carlo, is seeking reelection as Baybay City mayor; and his grandmother, Carmen, is running for her second term as Baybay’s councilor.

In Leyte’s 4th district, actor-turned-politician Rep. Richard Gomez is seeking his second term while wife, Lucy, who has held the congressional seat for 12 years, is running for her second term as mayor of Ormoc City, which was previously held by Richard. Lucy’s brother, Manuel Vicente Torres, is running for his second term as mayor of Kananga.

Garcias of Cebu

In Cebu, the governor and four members of her clan are gunning for different positions: her brother, Pablo John Garcia, as reelectionist in Cebu’s third district; and nephews Raymond Alvin and John John, for mayor in Cebu City and Barili town, respectively.

The governor’s youngest daughter, Carissa, is second nominee of Ako Bisaya party list. The first nominee is incumbent party list Rep. Sonny Lagon whose wife, Daphne, is also seeking reelection as Cebu’s 6th district representative. The Lagons’ twin sons, Larenz and Lorenz, are running for seats in the Cebu Provincial Board while eldest son Dason Patric is running for councilor in Cordova town.

In Bohol, 1st district Rep. Edgar Chatto is seeking reelection while his daughter, incumbent Balilihan Vice Mayor Thrisha is running for mayor, with former Tagbilaran City Vice Mayor Jose Antonio Veloso, Chatto’s brother in law, as Thrisha’s vice mayoral running mate.

Also seeking reelection are Bohol Gov. Aris Aumentado, his wife, Rep. Vanessa Aumentado, and the governor’s niece, Provincial Board Member Jamie Villamor.

In Biliran, patriarch Rogelio Espina is running for governor, a position currently held by his son, Roger Gerard; while his daughter, Gretchen, is seeking her second term as mayor of the capital Naval. Lone Rep. Gerardo Espina, the governor’s younger brother, is seeking his third term.

In Southern Leyte, reelectionist Gov. Damian Mercado is running for his final term, while his sister-in-law, Luz, the 1st district representative, seeks to replace her son, Naccional, as mayor of Maasin City. Luz’s husband, Roger, is running for her congressional seat.

In Samar, Gov. Sharee Ann Tan is seeking her second term; her brothers, Stephen James and Michael Reynolds, are running for reelection as congressmen for the province’s 1st and 2nd districts, respectively; and their uncle, Arnold, is seeking a second term as vice governor.

In Northern Samar, Gov. Edwin Ongchuan is seeking his third term, while his brother, Harris Christopher, is running for congressman representing the 2nd district. Harris Christopher’s wife, Charlene, is running for mayor of Laoang, the family’s political base.—with reports from John Michael Mugas, Yolanda Sotelo, Villamor Visaya Jr., Vincent Cabreza, Tonette T. Orejas, Michael B. Jaucian, Delfin T. Mallari Jr. Joey A. Gabieta, Nestle Semilla-Dakay, and Leo Udtohan