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| Justice Presby Velasco, Jr., governor-elect of Marinduque. Will the coming years be a period of magnificent transformation for the province? |
Incumbent congressman Lord Allan Velasco (PDP-Laban) won
almost uncontested the race for representative of this island-province’s
lone district.
This was so because Marinduque's longest serving political matriarch, Carmencita
Ongsiako-Reyes who was with the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), and was
running against Velasco in this midterm election suddenly withdrew her candidacy. She
was substituted by Harold Lim (UNA), an almost unknown entity. Carmencita did not finish her term as she passed away in January this year.
In almost the same manner, Carmencita’s daughter Ma. Violeta
Reyes (UNA), ran against former Associate Justice Presbitero Velasco, Jr. (PDP-Laban), in
the gubernatorial race. Four days prior to election the Reyes family issued a
statement via social media announcing the withdrawal of ‘Dok Violet Reyes’ candidacy. She reportedly made a formal withdrawal before Comelec.
A former
provincial board member, Reynaldo Salvacion (IND.), remained as the senior Velasco's only official opponent.
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| Justice Presby on the campaign trail. |
Newly elected governor, ‘Justice’ Velasco won in all of Marinduque's six towns. He was appointed associate justice in 2006 until the mandatory age of retirement in August of last year.
He was engaged in private law practice for 20
years and became president of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP), among other government positions until he became a regular member of the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) in 1993. This is his first elected position.
'Justice Presby' is married to Lorna Quinto-Velasco (PDP-Laban), the beauteous incumbent mayor of Torrijos
municipality. Lorna ran unopposed as mayor in yesterday's election.
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| Taken during Justice Presby's retirement last year. From left, son-in-law Sherwin Catera, Party list representative Trish Nicole Velasco-Catera, Justice Velasco, his wife, Mayor Lorna Quinto-Velasco, son Mike, municipal admin and Cong. Lord Allan Velasco. |
Lorded it over local politics
It was the Reyeses who lorded it over Marinduque's local politics for nearly 5 decades. Carmencita was first elected as a
delegate to the 1971 Constitutional Convention ratified during the
Marcos regime to which she was a close ally. She was assemblywoman of
Marinduque from 1985 to 1986, congresswoman from 1978 to 1998 and 2007 to 2010,
and governor from 1998 to 2007 and 2010 until her death.
Luisito Reyes, her brother-in-law was governor from 1988 to
1995. Her son Edmund Reyes, Jr. was congressman from 1998 to 2007.
In the case of Regina Ongsiako-Reyes (LP), she was the opponent of Lord Allan in the 2013 congressional race. House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte (LP) did not
implement a High Court decision issued in 2013 to have him installed as
congressman. Comelec had already cancelled Regina’s COC then in view of her US
citizenship by the time she took her oath as congresswoman.
HRET eventually ruled that Comelec’s decisions in two
resolutions in 2013, upheld by the High Court were final and executory. It also
ruled that “Reyes had no valid COC nor a valid proclamation”. Lord Allan was installed as congressman only in February 2016.
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| Cong. Lord Allan Velasco |
Younger Velasco as Speaker?
The very popular younger Velasco who garnered about 95% of the votes will most probably aspire to be Speaker in the next Congress as media reports keep saying that he has the backing of President Duterte and his influential daughter, Davao CIty Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio. Lord Allan is married to Wen Velasco, a staunch Duterte ally.
Sara, who graced Lord Allan's birthday party in Marinduque last November had said before a huge audience that it would be a "great pride for the people of Marinduque to have for the first time in your history a Speaker of the House".
The local electorate after a hard day's night are forward-looking now to a period of positive changes for the island-province, and for the coming years to be a fresh and new period of magnificent transformation starting this July.
Screenshots of Marinduque Election 2019 Results from Halalan 2019 ABS-CBN:
