IBA, Zambales — Zambales Governor Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. and other candidates allied with his homegrown Sulong Zambales Party (SZP) dominated the recent provincial elections in Zambales, winning a total of 11 seats out of the 12 elective positions, as well as for the two congressional districts.
Election results also gave the SZP and allied parties eight seats each for both mayoral and vice-mayoral posts in the 13 municipalities comprising Zambales.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) proclaimed Gov. Ebdane and other winners in the local elections early Tuesday morning, May 13, at the Comelec office here.
Ebdane, who ran under SZP for his third consecutive term as provincial executive, garnered 306,367 votes, or 90.85% of the votes cast, while Ayta leader Chito Balintay, who ran as an independent, received 30,857 votes, or 9.15%.
Ebdane’s recent election is his fifth elective victory. He first ran and won as governor in 2010 and was re-elected three years later.
Meanwhile, incumbent Vice Governor Jacqueline Khonghun (Lakas), garnered 279,807 votes. Khonghun, who was Ebdane’s running-mate in the last two elections, ran unopposed this year.
Khonghun’s brother, incumbent Zambales First District Representative Jay Khonghun (Lakas), was also unopposed and re-elected with 160,887 votes.
In the Second Legislative District, another Ebdane ally, incumbent Congresswoman Doris “Bing” Maniquiz (Lakas), won another term with 173,0743 votes (68.41%), beating the 79,928 votes (31.59%) for former 2nd District Representative Cheryl Deloso-Montalla who ran under the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC).
Candidates from the Sulong Zambales Party also dominated the polls in the First District, easily taking over the three seats for the provincial board without any opposition. They are Cecil Felarca-Rafanan, with 68,244 votes; Ike Delgado, with 64,243; and Elmer Tumaca, 57,734 votes.
In the Second District of Zambales, the SZP also lorded it over by gaining six seats out of seven. The winning SZP aspirants are: Rundy Ebdane, with 158,804 votes; Reena Mae Collado, 137,615; Samantha Ablola, 123,806; Jim Abasta, 110,623; Eric Matibag, 100,127; and Reynaldo Tarongoy, 86,847 votes.
The only non-SZP winner for the provincial board in the Second District is Jury Deloso (NPC), who ranked fourth with 112,502 votes.
Interestingly, Jury Deloso, a nephew of former Gov. Amor Deloso and erstwhile Ebdane rival, ran under the SZP banner in the 2016 elections and won the top board member slot for the Second District.
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