DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental, May 10 (PIA) -- Incumbent Dumaguete City Mayor Felipe Remollo was re-elected as local chief executive of the city while his running mate Maisa Sagarbarria was elected as the new vice mayor after they were proclaimed winners in this year’s elections by the city Board of Canvassers (BOC).
At 3:30 a.m. today, the BOC announced the winners of the local elections at the Canvassing Center inside the City Hall.
Also proclaimed were two members of the city council lineup who won in this year’s polls, namely retired police general Rey Lyndon Lawas and Atty. Karissa Faye Tolentino who stepped in as vice mayor after the death of former Vice Mayor Alan Gel Cordova who passed away on May 30, 2021.
Remollo won by 35,744 votes against his closest rival, incumbent 2nd district Board Member Estanislao Alviola who got 32,382 votes.
Other candidates for the mayoral race, namely, Aurelio Ramirez and Rene Ledesma, got 319 and 2,304 votes respectively.
Meanwhile, Sagarbarria garnered 43,049 votes against her only rival for the position, William Ablong, who got 23,981 votes.
Remollo thanked those who voted for him in the elections for their “renewed trust and confidence in my ability to govern and steer this administration for the next three years.”
This win grants him his third consecutive term as city mayor.
Remollo said he will focus on “reviving the city” following the COVID-19 pandemic which dampened the local economy.
“Now that the city has successfully weathered the COVID-19 pandemic, now that we are on Alert Level 1 and back to new normal, I think it’s very timely that business will be revived and tourism will be given its chance to grow and even be better,” Remollo said.
Sagarbarria also thanked her supporters, noting that she will focus on addressing the needs of the barangay in her term as vice mayor.
“Since gikan ko sa mga barangay, definitely I will be focusing on the barangays. Unsa mga kinahanglan sa katawhan. Hopefully projects and sa health system nato hopefully ma-improve nato. Anything na kabahin sa health importante gyud (Since I came from the barangay, definitely I will focus on it. Part of the needs of our people include projects on health system improvement. Anything that is related to it is important),” she said.
On the other hand, Tolentino received the highest number of votes in the roster of elected members of the city council with 38,419 votes.
She is followed by Joe Kenneth Arbas with 36,275; Maria Marife Cordova with 33,196 votes; Agustin Perdices with 32,801 votes; Jose Petit Baldado with 22,357 votes; Bernice Ann Elmaco with 30,395; Rey Lyndon Lawas with 28,949; Antonio Johnson Remollo with 28,767; Franklin Esmeña with 28,267; and JV Imbo with 27,548.
Tolentino thanked those who supported her in this election and assured them that she will reciprocate the support given to her by performing well in the city council. (RAL/PIA7 Negros Oriental)
