Six Bohol candidates already sure winners
ONE congressional representative, three town mayors and two vice mayors are virtual winners before could be voted upon, and automation has nothing to do with it.
While some 1,234 other candidates in Bohol are burning rubber exhausting energies to persuade voters into rooting for them in the campaign trail, these six politicians might as well prepare for their separate victory parties.
The country’s former Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap (Bohol’s third District) and incumbent mayors Dominisio Chatto of Balilihan town, Roberto Salinas of Catigbian and Thomas Louis Gonzaga of Danao all run unopposed and have the top seats handed to them in silver platter.
23 days into the country’s first automated national and elections, these candidates are now devoting their spare time campaigning for their slates to assure them of more allies as their new mandates start July 1.
Aside from Yap’s sure seat, eight other candidates vie for the two remaining congressional seats in Bohol in a political “Trip to Jerusalem” of sorts.
Some five candidates throw their hats for the single gubernatorial seat while four more are eyeing at being the chief presiding officer in the province’s highest legilslative body, data from the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) show.
Another 28 candidates are vying for the 10 seats as district Board Members: 10 of them from District 1, eight from District 2 and another 10 from District 3.
Discounting the three sure winners for mayoralty seats, some 107 candidates would be politically slugging it out to sit in opened 45 mayoralty seats in 47 towns and a city.
Aside from Vice Mayor Jose Cepedoza of Danao who has sealed his seat when he ran unopposed, some 113 vice mayoralty candidates would be sweating wits to outsmart co-candidates into the voter preference count.
Meanwhile, some 964 candidates for councilors would be restless until the eve of the elections, wooing voters through intelligence, charm and talent to be elected.
Only 384 of them would be lucky enough to get into the 48 town and city councils.
At the prospect, election supervisor Labaria said it would be historic if in Bohol, we could do away with the sore loser and for those who lost to gracefully concede. (PIA-Bohol)
