THREE women in Davao Region are set to take center stage in the local political scene after being elected to three leadership roles in their provinces for the next three years.
Yvonne Cagas and Dorothy Gonzaga are first-time, governor-elect of Davao del Sur and Davao de Oro, respectively, while presumptive governor of Davao Oriental Corazon Malanyaon is the province’s incumbent first district representative.
Cagas earned 183,697 votes against fellow candidate Carl Jason Rama Bautista who earned 126,138 votes. Cagas is the wife of outgoing Davao del Sur governor Marc Cagas.
Governor-elect Cagas has no public statement yet regarding her win but her husband addressed their supporters on May 10, “while we are victorious, remember nga dili pud tanan nahimong magmalampuson (not everything was smooth and successful). Dili ta mahimong mag ki-at kaayo (We should not be overjoyed). Dili ta mag yaga-yaga, apan ato lang ning i-celebrate nga nahimong magmalampuson gihapon ang demokrasya ilabina diri sa atong lalawigan sa Davao del Sur (We should celebrate that democracy is very much alive here in Davao del Sur),” he said.
Neophyte presumptive Davao de Oro governor Dorothy Gonzaga is a former Court of Appeals associate justice appointed in 2018 by outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte.
Gonzaga had a total of 226,731 votes while fellow gubernatorial candidate Arturo Chiongkee Uy had 190,552 votes.
During her proclamation, Gonzaga said she is excited to become a governor even though she is “not used” to serving the public as a politician.
“Dili gyod unta ko anad niini nga pamaagi sa pagpanerbisyo pero daghang rason ug mao naman ni atong gidangatan. Excited kaayo ko, lipay kaayo ko (I am not used to this kind of public service but this is my fate now. I am happy and excited)” Gonzaga said. “Dili tamo pakyason sa akong mga gisulti nga himoon nato para sa atong katawhan ug para sa atong probinsya.”
On the other hand, Malanyaon is not new to the world of politics and public service. She served as a governor of Davao Oriental from 2007 to 2016 and the province’s first district representative from 2001 to 2007 and from 2019 to 2022.
Malanyaon ran unopposed and garnered 237,132 votes. Now, she is replacing outgoing governor Nelson Dayanghirang who is also elected as the province’s next first district representative.
Meanwhile, Davao Occidental governor Franklin Bautista and Davao del Norte Edwin Jubahib were reelected to their positions. (ICM)