1 vote settles Leyte mayoralty race

TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines — By the skin of his teeth,  San Isidro town in Leyte has a new mayor.

Remedio “Wingbebot” Veloso of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) was proclaimed yesterday as the new mayor, defeating incumbent Susan Ang of the administration’s PDP-Laban by a margin of just one vote.

Veloso obtained 8,829 votes over Ang’s 8,828, poll officials said.

Ang’s husband, Alan, also appears to be losing in his reelection bid as a board member representing Leyte’s third district.

Veloso is a nephew of Rep. Vicente Veloso, reelected representative of Leyte’s third congressional district.

Veloso expressed thanks to all who supported his candidacy against the incumbent in a tight race.

The town has about 22,367 registered voters in its 19 barangays.?The town of San Isidro was eyed as among areas of concern in Leyte where election-related violence was expected.

Ang’s administrator, Levi Mabini, was killed by a group identified with Veloso on May 8. Veloso, for his part, denied the allegations.

It was fortunate that police and military forces were deployed in the town that could have prevented a more bloody confrontation between the two mayoral candidates, officials said.

In the end, the differences between the two officials was settled by a single vote.