The City Board of Canvassers (CBOC) of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) declared reelectionists Lucilo Bayron and Nancy Socrates the winners of the mayoral and vice mayoral races in Puerto Princesa on Tuesday morning.
From 242 clustered precincts in Puerto Princesa, Bayron, who ran under the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino Lakas ng Bayan (PDPLABAN), received 73,047 votes for the position of city mayor, while Socrates, who ran under the Aksyon Demokratiko, received 90,979 votes for the seat of city vice mayor.
Bayron thanked the city electorate, citing the importance of continuing current city programs and projects.
“Maganda talaga yong performance namin, maraming na-realize at natapos na projects, inspite na dumaan tayo sa pandemic, inspite na dumaan tayo sa isang typhoon na dati di natin [pinagdadaanan] na nangyayari na ngayon… sa kabila noon marami talaga tayong na-accomplish. Yon ang nagdala sa team namin,” Bayron said.
Bayron ran against nine other mayoral candidates, including opposition contender Jimbo Maristela of the Liberal Party, who only received 48,669 votes.
Socrates, on the other hand, acknowledged his father Salvador “Badong” Socrates’ legacy for her triumph, as well as his brother Dennis Socrates, who is awaiting proclamation as the winner of the gubernatorial election in Palawan.
She stated that they felt obliged to preserve their father’s “brand” of politics, but they constantly strive to honor his legacy.
“We are more than thankful because of the really beautiful, great name na iniwan ng tatay namin, but it’s a lot of pressure dahil paano mo mami-maintain yong brand, di ba? So, malaking pressure but we are both trying our best to live up to his name,. Siguro sa botong ito ay somehow nakaka-live up din kaming pareho. Maraming salamat po at marami pang hindi nakakalimot sa tatay ko,” Socrates said.
Socrates stated that she did not anticipate the number of votes she would earn in this election. She ran against Gerry Abordo, who only received 22,119 votes.
Proclaimed with Bayron and Socrates were the winning candidates for councilors.
- HAGEDORN, PATRICK (PDPLBN) – 79,638
- BAYRON, RAINE (PDPLBN) – 66,484
- MARCAIDA, LUIS III (IND) – 53,943
- OLIVEROS, FELIBOY (PDPLBN) – 53,626
- DAMASCO, ELGIN ROBERT (PDPLBN) – 51,370
- CARBONELL, JIMMY (PDPLBN) – 51,326
- RODRIGUEZ, JONJIE (PDPLBN) – 47,968
- DILIG, HERBERT (PDPLBN) – 45,990
- AWAT, NESARIO (PDPLBN) – 44,478
- GADIANO, HENRY (PDPLBN) – 37,780
Forty candidates vied for spots on the city council of Puerto Princesa. On the list, only Marcaida is not aligned with Bayron’s local party. He is a returning member of the City Council with Rodriguez and Oliveros. Raine, the daughter of the mayor, is the newest member.