Oliva: Being genuine is key in winning
Benjie Oliva
Catigbian mayor-elect Benjie Oliva said being genuine in character is the best strategy to win in an election.
Speaking to Ardy Araneta-Batoy and Gloria Araneta on Wednesday during the Open Forum Program, he said despite the mudslinging, a good candidate could remain true to his advocacies and plans for the people.
He has been serving the people, not because he has plans to be mayor, but because he is genuine in his desire to help remain his fellowmen.
He has been helping Catigbian for the past 11 years and the people know how he has helped the town grow with several projects in tow.
He said, one of his strongest weapons is his dependence on God and HIS WILL in whatever he does.
Oliva was asked by the present mayor Elizabeth Mandin to replace her as she will not seek a third term.
At first, Oliva was hesitant to accept the challenge from Mandin because his family is in Manila.
However, he saw it as a sign from God using Mandin as a way for him to become mayor.
Moreover, he saw that there is a lot that need to be done in the town and this prompted him to take on the challenge.
Oliva said he will stamp out the alleged practice of giving gifts and/or bribes for and from among those who work in the town government.
He wants to have a clean government so he could stamp out corruption in local governance. He is definite in starting this in the town of Catigbian.
Alturas sponsors free circumcision
The Alturas Group of Companies (AGC) has been sponsoring a free circumcision program and will continue during the summer vacation, according to spokesman Ariel Fullido.
The free circumcision is part of AGC’s community outreach program as they become more aggressive in providing help to communities where the group operates.
There were four barangays which already benefited from the program, he told Ardy Araneta-Batoy on Thursday during the program Newsmakers ug Uban Pa.
The program has reached Ubay and Alicia, to name a few places.
The program will be in barangay Cabatang, Alicia on Saturday and the next day the program moves to barangay Gabi in Ubay.
In May 24, the program will visit Talibon at the Alturas Mall in Talibon.
In May 25, the program is at barangay Canhayupon, Dimiao, the next day, the program will visit barangay Tabalong in Dauis
Interested parties may register online via Facebook of Alay Marcela Foundation.
One may also coordinate with the barangays and rural health units, he said.
AGC also had an eye care program where beficiaries were given free eye check up and glass frames.
This program was brought by the medical teams to far flung areas.
Bishop Uy asks people to move forward and bury the hatchet
Tagbilaran bishop Alberto “Abet” Uy
Tagbilaran bishop Alberto “Abet” Uy urged the supporters of candidates to move forward and bury the hatchet that surfaced in the heat of elections.
He urged people to end the reasons that sow divisions and arguments among the supporters of candidates.
While it is natural to take sides and argue during the elections, he is urging the people to observe respect as each one has the capacity to think and to choose the right leaders.
He said that our votes are sacred and people should also respect other people’s decisions.
He said it is not good to remain at odds at each other.
He also said that those who ran should remain humble as this is a test of character.
According to him, in the next elections, it is best to choose those who graciously accept defeat and they should be the ones who should win, while those who won but remain boastful are, to him, worthless.
The winners should be humble in victory and should be chosen to win in the next elections, he emphasized.
He urged the winners to give their best to serve the people.
Arcamo remains the last man standing
Board member Benjie Arcamo
Board member Benjie Arcamo remains the last man standing from the opposition side who won a seat at the provincial level.
This comes as the three other opposition candidates at the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) lost their reelection bids.
With the scenario, he remains as the lone voice of opposition at the SP.
Board members Aldner Damalerio, Mimi Boniel and Elpedio Bonita failed to gain a third and final term.
All the bets of Abante in the second and third districts won as only Lucille Lagunay managed to retain her seat:
Meanwhile, in the first district, newcomer Mutya Tirol Macuno, an independent candidate, was able to grab a seat beating Abante bets Goldie Herrera and Willie Ramasola who lost their bids.
Macuno has been reported to be aligned with Gov. Aris Aumentado even if she was not chosen to be among the official candidates of Abante Bohol.
Bullen files election protest
Roman Bullen
Incumbent Dauis mayor Roman Bullen filed an election protest after he failed to gain reelection.
He lost to the comebacking mayor who is the current vice mayor Marietta Sumaylo.
Bullen alleged there were irregularities and discrepancies during the conduct of the elections such as the rejection of ballots without proper resolution after, allegedly, the automated counting machine (ACM) malfunctioned.
He also alleged that there were flying voters and there were witnesses who saw the said voters arriving in certain areas.
Another allegation he made was about armed groups hired by his opponent to harass his voters and supporters.
Bullen also alleged that massive vote buying took place in Dauis.
Bullen’s complaint was filed before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) as it is expected that Sumaylo will be making a statement regarding the allegations of Bullen.
Police log 4 cases of alleged vote buying in Bohol
The police said they logged at least four alleged cases of vote buying in Bohol.
Bohol Police Provincial Office (BPPO) spokesman Lt. Col. Norman Nuez said they received reports of alleged vote buying in Valencia and Candijay where there were three recorded alleged cases in the said town, and one in Valencia.
Valencia parish priest Fr. Darwin Gitgano was the one who filed a case of alleged vote buying.
The police were among the agencies under Oplan Kontra Bigay tasked to curb vote buying.
Nuez said there was money given to voters with stapled piece of paper showing the photo or name of the candidate to be voted upon.
Unfortunately, no one was arrested for alleged vote buying but the suspects have been already charged accordingly.
Farm machineries turned over to ARB in Ubay
About half a million pesos worth of farm machinery were turned over on Wednesday to agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARB) from Ubay town.
Livelihood support was also turned over to the ARB in barangay Imelda of the same town.
Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) provincial director Ronald Pumatong explained the pieces of farm machinery were distributed as part of the sustainable livelihood support project of the said agency.The aim is to uplift the lives of the ARB where a tractor with trailer, water pump, and 15 heads of goats are now in their possession.
Key officials from Ubay and DAR Bohol attended the turnover of the machinery and livelihood support.
Glitch causes delay in canvass
A glitch allegedly has caused the delay in the completion of the provincial canvassing, according to provincial supervisor Eliseo Labaria.
Labaria explained that the delay in the proclamation of winners in the provincial level was due to a glitch caused by human operator.
He explained the delay as he spoke to the members of Bohol media.
Due to the glitch, the proclamation for governor, vice governor and the third district representative and third district board members was delayed but eventually pushed through.
The bets in the first and second district were proclaimed early Tuesday morning.
The delay was due to transmission issues from barangay Danao, Valencia, as the automated counting machine was unable to completely transmit the results.
Had it not been for the delay, the Commission on Elections could have declared the winning candidates much earlier.
Despite the delay the winning candidates were proclaimed Wednesday evening as Labaria said the polls were generally peaceful.
There were no reports of major incidents in Bohol, Labaria said.
Baba to forget fake news against him
John Geesnell Yap II
Newly-minted, congressman-elect of the first district John Geesnell Yap II said he has no plans to pursue legal action against those who spread fake news against him.
He said that despite the propaganda against him, he emerged victorious and he is thankful to the voters who believe in him.
Yap said he believes in surveys and when the surveys showed that he was in a statistical tie status with his opponents, he used the results as an inspiration to work harder to achieve victory. He added that since he already won he will be focusing on fulfilling the promises he made and will move forward to his service in cooperation with other solons of Bohol.
He said he will be supporting Abante Bohol led by Gov. Aris Aumentado including all the agenda of the group.
While he enjoyed the backing of Gov. Aumentado, it was not the same story for the congressman-elect’s wife, Mayor Jane Yap, as the governor chose to support his close friend, outgoing councilor Malvin Torralba, for city mayor.
He said Aumentado’s endorsement is a huge factor in his victory as the Bohol governor carries a command vote the latter being close to the people.
Fr. Saco: Politicians exploit poverty
Manga parish priest Fr. Gerardo “Jingboy” Saco says politicians have exploited poverty among the majority of Filipinos and this is the reason vote buying remains rampant.
The issue of vote buying has topped the concerns following the midterm elections.
The priest said the politicians want the people to remain poor in order to exploit them and continue with vote buying.
He said that despite efforts to curb vote buying, there were attempts to buy votes at the last hour.
The Church has been advocating for an election without money involved.
Saco has employed a stern approach against vote buying, which he started during the barangay elections in 2023.
He has met with the candidates to discuss ways not to buy votes as he emphasized buying votes is used by a politician who is afraid to lose, hence, resorts to dirty tactics.
He added that there is a trust issue among candidates that their opponents will buy votes that will put them at a disadvantage.
He stressed that vote buying will only end if government and the church will put an end to this kind of practice.
Comelec releases sked for BSKE
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has released its schedule for the conduct of the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (BSKE) elections this December 1, 2025.
In resolution 11132 promulgated by the Comelec, the filing of certificates of candidacy will be on October 1 to 7, 2025, and the election period will start on October 27 with the campaign period starting on November 20 to 29 as election day will be on December 1, 2025.
The BSKE was made possible due to a Supreme Court ruling where it was a practice to postpone the BSKE in the past.
The BSKE is important as it will determine who will be the leaders of the barangay, which is the basic unit of government.
The BSKE is important to the youth as this is a way to choose their leaders, too.
Garcia accepts defeat
Vice Gubernatorial candidate Gerry Garcia has accepted defeat in the polls as he congratulated Vice Governor-elect Nick Besas.
Garcia thanked his supporters for their help during the campaign as he also congratulated Gov. Aris Aumentado.
As Garcia acknowledged Besas’ victory, he also thanked the clans who supported him in his campaign
including those in One Bohol.
He said the elections show that money is no longer a factor just like what happened in Cebu and Loboc where the messaging of good governance and credibility is important.
However, he expressed concerns over the issues besetting the province such as the management of Balicasag Island, whale watching, and justice for fishermen of Malingin Island.
He will be observing if the new leader will side with the ordinary Boholano.
Finally, Garcia said he will continue his advocacy against vote buying and for the government to consider his plan on how to lower the price of fish.
Most of Duterte-endorsed senatoriables gain votes in Bohol
The majority of senatoriables who were endorsed by the Dutertes gained a lot of votes in Bohol.
This report is based on the data coming from the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
Sen. Bong Go topped the list of the highest vote getter among the senators endorsed by the Dutertes.
He was able to gain 578,386 votes and he was followed by Sen. Ronald de la Rosa with 533,845 votes.
Lawyer Jimmy Bondoc was third with 321,246 votes, followed by Rodante Marcoleta with 311,969 votes. The other candidate is Camille Villar with 297,897 votes. Villar is part of President Marcos’ Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas but was also endorsed by Vice President Sara Duterte.
The other candidates’ standing in Bohol is this: Philip Salvador 289,221 votes, Raul Lambino 258,467 votes, JB Hinlo 248,755 votes, Vic Rodriguez 224,052 votes and Bam Aquino with 216,243 votes. Aquino was not endorsed by either the Marcos camp or the Duterte camp.
Bohol has more than 900,000 registered voters with more than 87 percent turnout of voters.
Bohol votes partylist with Boholano nominees
Bohol voted for partylist groups with Boholano nominees as these groups ended with the highest number of votes among Boholano voters.
The party list group Agap and Murang Kuryente ended as top 2 vote getters in Bohol, based on the data from the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
One of the Agap’s nominees is Tata Olandria from Candijay who got 91,120 votes.
Moreover, Murang Kuryente who is headed by former Gov. Art Yap got 64;185 votes.
The top 12 party list voted in Bohol are: Agap, Murang Kuryente, CWS, Duterte Youth, DIWA, PPP, Malasakit at Bayanihan, Abante Bisdak, APEC, 4Ps, 1-Coop, and Akbayan.
Boholanos supported the groups with Boholano nominees who aspire to represent the province in Congress.
Used tarpaulins to be recycled in Tagb
The tarpaulins used during the elections may be sent to the City Livelihood and Community Development Unit for recycling.
The used tarpaulins may be used to make bags and other usable effects that could be a source of livelihood for the community.
All city and barangay officials and employees were urged to participate in the clean-up drive together with other government agencies.
The drop-off area of the used tarpaulins is at the City Hall where these will be processed.
This initiative is aimed to reduce waste and to provide livelihood to some of city’s residents.
Baja to latch as senior board member
Tita Baja
Reelected board member Tita Baja has the inside track of latching into the senior board member’s post according to Sangguniang Panlalawigan secretary Bonifacio Quirog.
Quirog said based on the election results Baja was able to amass 166,000 votes, an increase from the votes she obtained in 2022 which reached 116,000 votes..
The board member that gains the most number of votes among all districts is designated as the senior board member.
The new Sangguniang Panlalawigan is teeming with allies of Gov. Aris Aumentado as only opposition board member Benjie Arcamo and independent candidate Mutya Macuno are the winners not belonging to the group of the governor.
The second and third districts are dominated by Abante Bohol stalwarts with no independent or opposition board members gaining a seat.
In the first district Aldner Damalerio lost his and Lucille Lagunay and Arcamo retained theirs.
The only newcomer in the SP is Macuno and she was able to pull an impressive run as board member after her stint as medical center chief at the Gov. Celestino Gallares Memorial Medical Center in Tagbilaran City.
Bishop Uy chides vote buyers
Tagbilaran bishop Alberto Uy said the candidates who won due to vote buying should not rejoice as their victory was due to money and not due to their personal attributes.
Uy made the statement following the elections last Monday.
The bishop actively pushed against vote buying prior to elections.
It has been observed that vote buying was rampant despite the Church’s campaign against the alleged practice.
Moreover, Manga parish priest, Fr. Gerado “Jingboy” Saco said the leaders had a hard time delivering the money to buy votes as volunteers were monitoring movements in every corner.
Repots say some parishioners vented their ire on the priest because of the no to vote buying campaign.
Saco earlier appealed to the candidates to stay away from Manga and conduct vote buying somewhere else.
The Church has been actively campaigning against vote buying, which has become the culture every elections.
31 incumbent mayors gain reelection
About 31 incumbent mayors were able to gain another term after Monday’s polls.
Among those who were reelected were Baclayon mayor Alvin Uy, Albur mayor Don Ritchie Buates, Panglao mayor Edgardo Arcay, Tagbilaran City mayor Jane Yap, Corella mayor Juan Manuel Lim, Sikatuna mayor Justiniana Ellorimo, and Antequera mayor Boy Pahang.
Other winners were San Isidro mayor Diosdado Gementiza, Sagbayan mayor Jun-Jun Suarez, Clarin mayor Eugene Ibarra and Buenavista mayor Dave Duallo, Getafe mayor Caryboy Camacho; Talibon mayor Janet Garcia, Trinidad mayor Roberto Cajes, San Miguel mayor Ian Gil Mendez, Loay mayor Lahar Ayuban, Lile Arturo Jed Piollo, Dimiao mayor Randolph Ang, Valencia mayor Dionisio Neil Balite, Duero mayor Al Taculad, Guindulman mayor Ben Balo, Anda mayor Angelina Simacio, Mabini mayor Onjie Grace Lim, Candijay mayor Thamar Olaivar, Pilar mayor Wilson Pajo, Carmen mayor Che de los Reyes, Bilar mayor Norman Palacio, Loboc mayor and Raymond Jala.
All of the winning candidates have been already been proclaimed by the Board of Canvassers early Tuesday morning.
Of the 31 mayors who were able to gain another term. 23 are aligned with Abante Bohol led by Gov. Aris Aumentado,
One Bohol suffers huge defeat
All of the candidates supported by One Bohol suffered defeat despite the claim of the group to have a massive following.
The top candidate of the group, Dan Lim, was ran roughshod including his running mate Gerry Garcia who also lost.
The bets for second district like Modesto Membreve, Frans Garcia and Mimi Boniel also lost.
Other candidates who suffered the same defeat were bets Atty. Mc Aldous Castañares, and the board member candidates Elpidio Bonita, Lileth Abundo, and Rene Espinosa.
One Bohol supported candidates who are aligned with the Dutertes.
Vice President Sara Duterte even endorsed the candidates of One Bohol.
Comelec proclaims winners of Monday’s poll
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has proclaimed the winners of Monday’s poll a day after the elections.
Gov. Aris Aumentado earned another three years as his running mate Board Member Nick Besas won as vice governor.
Moreover, challenger John Geesnell Yap was proclaimed as the new first district congressman together with reelectionsists second district congressperson Van-van Aumentado and third district congressperson Kristine Alexie Tutor.
Comelec provincial director Eliseo Labaria said there were no major untoward incidents that happened during the polls including the canvassing.
It was reported that there was a delay in Valencia due to a problem with the automated voting machine (ACM).
The new board members in the first district are Mutya Macuno, Lucille Lagunay and Benjie Arcamo.
The second district board members winners are Jamie Villamor, Tommy Abapo and Fernando Estavilla.
Meanwhile, in the third district the winners for board members are Tita Baja, DJ Balite, Nathaniel Binlod and Greg Jala.
Slim margin spells victory or defeat in Cortes
Only a slim margin spelled the difference between loss and victory in Cortes town as only seven votes separated Coun. Ira Lim and Vice Mayor Rudy Uy.
Based on the official results, only seven votes separated the two protagonists.
Uy won over Lim as the new mayor. Uy is set to succeed the incumbent three-term mayor of Cortes, the outgoing mayor Lynn Iven Lim.
Uy garnered 5,467 votes as Lim got 5,460 votes.
The outcome of the Cortes election only showed how hotly-contested the elections in the said town were. It was a literal down the line finish for both protagonists where only one was supposed to win.
It would be interesting how things will pan out for Uy who enjoys a slim plurality vote spread and how he could govern a town that is on the rise.
Cortes is home to the Gov. Celestino Gallares Multi-Specialty Medical Center (GCGMSMC).
This is probably the closest winning margin in recent Bohol history in any municipal level contest.
The Philippine election system is unique as ties, according to the Omnibus Election Code, may be broken with a toss coin.
However, in this case no ties happened but the mandate of the new mayor is slim and it emphasizes the importance of every vote as one vote may spell the difference between loss or victory.
Comelec-Tagb denies Pizarras’ allegations of vote rigging
The Commission on Elections (Comelec)-Tagbilaran has denied any allegations of vote rigging during Monday’s elections.
This comes as former congressional candidate Jordan Pizarras alleged that there were anomalies that were detected following the elections in the first district including Tagbilaran City.
Pizarras made the allegations on his social media page where he asked about the alleged “magic” in the city.
He said that the votes cast were allegedly more than the registered voter in a particular area.
He alleged that one candidate has the edge because of vote padding.
Comelec Tagbilaran chief Rafael Montuya denied the allegations saying the tally from the precincts were aligned with the election returns.
He said it is improbable that there would be more votes than voters who voted in the elections.
He said he cannot comment on the transmission of data to the central office allegedly presented on the Comelec website.
He insists that as far as they are concerned there were no vote rigging that happened.
He said the canvassing was transparent and they did not receive any protests from any candidate or party.