IT’S going to be a family affair in next year’s local elections in Cebu.
Majority of those running for higher positions in some towns and cities in Cebu are being led by candidates who are related to one another.
An official of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said political dynasties are still legal in local politics as there is still no law that prohibits it has been passed.
In the first district, Talisay City Mayor Eduardo Gullas will be running for congressman while his grandson, Samsam, will be running for city mayor.
In the City of Naga, former Mayor Valdemar Chiong will be running again for city mayor while his daughter, Mayor Kristine Vanessa Chiong, will be running for vice mayor.
In Carcar City, City Mayor Nicepuro Apura may no longer be allowed to seek another term due to term limits, but his wife, Carcar City Councilor Merceditas Apura, will be running in his stead.
Apura, on the other hand, will run for vice mayor.
In the second district, Cebu Rep. Wilfredo Caminero will be running for reelection while his brother, Stanley, will also seek re-election as mayor of Argao.
In the third district, members of the Garcia clan are also running for higher posts.
With his sister Gwen running for governor, lawyer Pablo John Garcia will run for third district representative in her place.
Their brother Marlon is running for mayor of Barili.
The Garcia clan is also fielding some of their relatives in the neighboring seventh district.
Former Dumanjug Mayor Nelson Garcia, Gwen’s brother, also filed his certificate of candidacy yesterday for congressman of the Seventh District.
In Dumanjug, Mayor Guntrano Gica will seek reelection, while his brother Wado will run for vice mayor.
Another brother of Gica’s, Erick Elmer, is also running for Provincial Board member of the seventh district.
In the fourth district, two rival political families are expected to slug it out for dominance in the district.
Former Bogo City mayor Celestino “Junie” Martinez Jr. has filed his COC for fourth district congressional representative, while his children, Bogo City Mayor Carlo Martinez and City Vice Mayor Maria Cielo Martinez, will be seeking reelection.
Martinez is expected to fight it out with Janice Salimbangon, the wife of Cebu 4th District Rep. Benhur Salimbangon.
Aside from Janice, Benhur’s daughter, Daphne, will be running as vice governor under One Cebu.
In Daanbantayan, Provincial Board Member (PB) Sun Shimura will run for town mayor while his wife, Kerrie Keane, will run for his vacated seat in the PB.
In the fifth district, the powerful Durano family have already deployed their candidates for next year’s elections.
The clan’s patriarch, Ramon “Nito” Durano III, will seek reelection as Danao City mayor, while his son, Thomas Mark, will also seek reelection as vice mayor.
His other son, Ramon “Red” VI, will seek reelection as congressman of the fifth district.
The Durano clan’s close relatives are also vying for higher positions in the Province.
Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale, who is a close relative of the Duranos, is running as governor of Cebu Province.
Her son, Miguel Antonio, is seeking reelection as Provincial Board member of the Fifth District.
Another Durano relative, Rosemarie Durano-Sybico, is also running for the PB’s fifth district slot, which will be vacated by her brother, incumbent PB Member Jude Thaddeus Durano-Sybico.
But the Garcia clan is also planning to challenge the Durano clan’s dominance in the fifth district.
Former Liloan Mayor Duke Frasco, the son-in-law of Rep. Gwendolyn Garcia, will challenge Red Durano for the fifth district congressional seat.
In Lapu-Lapu City, the Radaza couple and a nephew are running for mayor, vice mayor and congresswoman.
Former congressman Arturo “Boy” Radaza is throwing his bid again for the mayoral race, while his wife incumbent Mayor Paz Radaza, who is now in her last term, intends to take her daughter Aileen’s position at the House of Representatives.
First Councilor Harry Radaza, Arturo Radaza’s nephew, wants to be vice mayor.
Harry is the son of the late lawyer Frankie Radaza, Arturo’s younger brother.
Mayor Radaza said her daughter wants to leave public service for a while to prioritize her studies and start a business.
Harry, on the other hand, said their intention to run fits their slogan, which is “Sa Panaghiusa Mapadayon Ang Kalambuan” (In Unity, Progress Continues), because they are a family, including their party called “Team Deretso.”
The Radazas were able to file their certificates of candidacy under the Lakas CMD Party yesterday.
Despite the presence of political dynasties running in next year’s elections, Cebu Provincial Election supervisor Lionel Marco Castillano admitted they can’t prohibit politicians and their relatives from running for public office.
“The Constitution has a provision against political dynasties, but it’s a provision that is not self-executory. It still needs an enabling law for it to be implemented,” Castillano told SunStar Cebu.
The Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Reform Act or Republic Act 10742 is the only law in the country which prohibits political dynasties, Castillano added. (JKV, FVQ)