BARANGAY Dolores village chairman Vilma Caluag is now the first ever lady mayor of the City of San Fernando, Pampanga after winning 55,508 votes from 96.68 percent of Election Returns, as of 11:02 a.m.Tuesday, May 10, 2022.
Caluag finished ahead of opponents Third District Board Member Rosve Henson who garnered 45,917 votes and incumbent Vice Mayor Jimmy Lazatin with 35,637 votes. Former mayor Oscar Rodriguez finished fourth place in the mayoralty race with only 18,784 votes while independent candidate Sandy Quiwa received 314 votes.
Caluag’s runningmate Ariel Carreon lost to Kambilan vice-mayoralty candidate Benedict Jasper Lagman who garnered 63,931 votes against Carreon’s 37,881 votes as of 11:17 a.m. Tuesday.
For the City councilor posts, Brenz Gonzales was the leading candidate with 79,084 votes.
The young Gonzales is the son of Third District Representative Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales Jr.
The late Alvin Mendoza who was substituted by wife Rosalie is set to finish second with 76,493 votes. Barangay Alasas chairman Alvin Mendoza was killed by still unknown assailants a few days before the elections. Other councilors in for the run include Ricky Hizon (66,567), Reggie David (62,790), Tina Lagman (58,255), Ato Agustin (57,741), Angel Wijangco (54,937) and Ayzel Macalino (50,267).
Meanwhile, Caluag’s closest rival Rosve Henson thanked supporters for their trust and support in his Bayanihan Campaign.
“Congratulations to our city mayor-elect Vilma Caluag and city vice mayor-elect BJ Lagman and to our new city councilors. We wish you all the best in your coming administration,” Henson said in a statement circulated over social media.
This is Caluag’s second attempt at the mayoralty post after she lost to incumbent Mayor Edwin Santiago in the 2019 mayoralty race.