Bulacan mayor on narco list wins big vs ex-cop

MALOLOS, Philippines  —  Mayor Cipriano Violago Jr. of San Rafael, Bulacan, who was included in President Duterte’s narco list, won by a landslide over retired police general Francisco Villaroman in the mayoral elections. 

Violago garnered 36,508 votes while Villaroman got only 11,180 votes.

Villaroman was Duterte’s chief security officer during  the 2016 elections.

Violago had said persistent allegations that he was involved in the illegal drug trade were politically motivated. He said he had been cleared by the regional, provincial and municipal police and even Camp Crame.  

However, Villaroman maintained that an inter-agency committee on illegal drugs confirmed Violago’s inclusion on the narco list. 

No coin toss

In Bocaue town, Mayor Eleanor “Joni” Villanueva-Tugna was reelected after she won by a big margin over her rival Jim Valerio.

Tugna received a total of 32,083 votes while Valerio got 22,422.

Tugna and Valerio both garnered 16,694 votes in the 2016 elections. Villanueva was proclaimed winner after a coin toss.

Tugna credited her decisive win to the services that were offered by the municipal government in the past three years of her first term.