LA TRINIDAD, Benguet -- Peaceful elections were held in the entire province of Benguet, with minor problems in transmission and voting as the different mayoralty and vice mayoralty candidates were declared in all the 13 municipalities.
Winners for the mayoralty and vice mayoralty race in Atok town are Peter Alos and Angelito Galao, both from the National Unity Party.
In Bakun, National Unity Party standard bearers Fausto Labinio and Lorenzo Santiban both made it to the top spots, while Thomas Wales of the Liberal Party and independent candidate Pedro Anton were hailed as mayor and vice mayor, respectively, in Bokod.
In Buguias, Nationalist People's Coalition’s Ruben Tinda-an and Diomne Baucas snatched the town’s top posts, while in Itogon, incumbent Mayor Victorio Palangdan, also from the Liberal Party, will return for another three-year term as independent candidate Adiano Carantes will be seating as vice mayor.
In Kabayan, Liberal party candidates Gideon Todiano and National Unity Party Basilio Louie Daoal Jr. clinched the chief executive and legislative posts, while in Kibungan, both National Unity Party candidates Cesar Molitas and Aureiana Sacpa were elected mayor and vice mayor respectively.
Re-electionists mayor Materno Luspian and vice mayor Dario Banario, both from Liberal Party, were also given fresh mandate anew in Mankayan town.
In Sablan, incumbent Mayor Arthur Baldo also from the Liberal Party and Manuel Munar Jr. have been proclaimed as mayor and vice mayor, respectively, while in Tuba, Ignacio Rivera from the Lakas–CMD (Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats) and Clarita Sal-ongan of the National Unity Party were elected as mayor and vice mayor.
In Tublay, Liberal Party standard bearers Armando Lauro and Juan Esnara likewise made it.
According to Acting Election Supervisor and lawyer Ricardo Lampac, 12 vote counting machines (VCMs) malfunctioned in Benguet province.
Most of the malfunctioning VCMs were in Baguio (5), two in Mankayan, two in Tuba, two in La Trinidad and one in Kibungan.
Lampac said some of the VCMs failed to read ballots after sometime, some had problematic LCDs and others did not open at all and were later replaced.