Winning Davao del Sur candidates finally proclaimed

DAVAO CITY – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) finally proclaimed the winning provincial candidates of Davao del Sur late Monday afternoon, or almost three weeks after the May 14 midterm elections.

Proclaimed governor was incumbent first district Rep. Douglas Cagas, who garnered 148,931 votes against the 141,355 votes of his rival, incumbent second district Rep. Claude Bautista.

Provincial election supervisor Maria Febes Barlaan attributed the delay in the proclamation of winners to the electoral protests in the towns of Bansalan, Malita, Matan-ao, and Sulop.

“But we were ordered to proceed with the canvassing by the national canvassing center in Manila, except for the town of Sulop. And we went ahead with the proclamation because the total number of votes in Sulop would not in any way affect the votes garnered by the winners, including the board members,” Barlaan told The STAR.

Complaints of alleged fraud and intimidation during the voting hounded the initial canvassing of votes in the three towns.

In Sulop, there were alleged unauthorized alterations in the certificates of canvass that was even caught on video.

Nationalist People’s Coalition bet Simplicio Latasa made it as vice governor against Ida Renovilla of the ruling Lakas-CMD party.  

Meanwhile, elected provincial board members for the first district were Erwin Llanos, Josefina Almazan, Mercedes Cagas, Merlyn Bello, and Ricardo Molina, Jr.; and for the second district, Alberto Baliota, Ali Colina, Jr., Edgar Gan, Princess Erum Parcasio, and Rogelio Baribar.

Barlaan said Bautista’s lawyers intend to file a petition to declare the proclamation null and void.

“They can file (the petition with) our main office, but we will still be furnished copies of their petition,” Barlaan said.

Barlaan said the winning candidates had to be proclaimed immediately because of the growing restlessness among the people of Davao del Sur.

A total gun ban was enforced in the province following the May 16 killing of Isidro Sarmiento, a mayoral bet in Malita town, and his son, Danilo.

Double murder charges have been filed against Bautista and four of his bodyguards for the Sarmientos’ killing.

Chief Superintendent Andres Caro II, Southern Mindanao police director, said they need to assess the situation in Davao del Sur first before they could recommend the lifting of the total gun ban in the province “or let it stay until June 13 when the election period is over.”

Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, who chairs the Southern Mindanao Regional Peace and Order Council, has put Davao del Sur under tight watch for fear that violence might erupt between the rival political groups.