Sarangani’s political families are realigning their groups and swapping positions
SARANGANI, Philippines – Old names in Sarangani politics are set to dominate next year’s electoral exercise, as the week-long filing of certificates of candidacy, which ended on Tuesday, October 8, has shown.
The province’s political families are realigning their groups and swapping positions.
In Sarangani’s largest municipality, Malungon, a father-daughter tandem from the well-known Constantino family filed their respective COCs on Saturday, October 5, for the town’s top elective posts.
Reynaldo Constantino, the family’s patriarch, has filed to run for mayor, while his daughter, Tessa, currently in her final term as town mayor, will run as her father’s vice-mayoral candidate.
Reynaldo, also known by friends as Bongbong, previously served as Malungon mayor for three full terms before his daughter took over. The father-daughter duo will campaign under the People’s Champ Movement (PCM), led by boxing icon and ex-senator Manny Pacquiao.
The elder Constantino said he is running to preserve political stability in Malungon. Reynaldo’s father, Felipe, also served as mayor for many years before becoming Sarangani’s vice governor.
“I am running out of necessity; I felt compelled to do so,” Reynaldo told local reporters.
He expressed concern about the number of people vying for the mayoralty, with his daughter stepping down to the vice-mayoral position.
Reynaldo’s sister, Eleanor Constantino Saguigit, is also set to run for vice governor of Sarangani, as the running mate of Mohammad Aquia, who will challenge the reelection bid of Sarangani Governor Rogelio Pacquiao, a brother of boxing icon.
In the century-old town of Glan, the Yaps have dominated local politics for decades, sometimes campaigning together and other times against each other, even switching positions within the local government.
However, former Glan mayor Vivien Yap said there will be no more sibling rivalry in next year’s local elections.
“We are not getting any younger,” Yap, now a senior, told reporters on Monday, October 7.
Yap and her brother, Enrique Jr., lost in the 2022 elections to their sibling-nephew tandem of Mayor Victor James Yap Sr. and Vice Mayor Victor James Yap Jr. This time, Vivien will support her brother Enrique Jr. in his candidacy for Sarangani vice governor, rather than running against her other brother, the current mayor.
Glan, one of the oldest towns in the former Cotabato territory, has long been ruled by the Yap family, starting with their father, the late Enrique Sr., who served as mayor during the Martial Law era.
The sibling rivalry among the Yaps began in 2010 when Enrique Jr. fielded his wife for mayor, despite an agreement among the siblings to allow Victor James to run. Enrique Jr. also ran as his wife’s vice-mayoral candidate. Both lost to Victor James and Vivien.
Meanwhile, in Kiamba town, Sarangani Provincial Board Member Russell Jamora, brother-in-law of former senator Pacquiao, will challenge the reelection bid of Mayor George Falgui, who is seeking a second term. Jamora will run alongside Vice Mayor Marie Jess Martinez-Ancheta.
Jamora is one of several Pacquiao relatives currently holding elective positions in Sarangani, along with Governor Pacquiao, and cousins Zyrex Pacquiao, mayor of Maasim, and Mark Joseph Pacquiao, an ex-officio provincial board member.
Rogelio, Zyrex, and Jamora all won during the 2022 local elections. Rogelio and Jamora are currently serving their first terms, while Zyrex is seeking his third and final term. Mark Joseph, meanwhile, is running for a seat in the Maasim town legislative council. – Rappler.com
