BACOLOD CITY, Negros Occidental, Philippines – It’s an all-male affair in two towns here for the coming May general polls with no female candidate filing a certificate of candidacy for all local elective posts – from mayor, vice mayor to councilor.
Records from the provincial office of the Commission on Elections showed all the candidates are men in the towns of Ilog and Pontevedra – the only two towns to have a male-dominated list among the 32 towns and cities in the sugar-producing province of the Philippines.
All these – Ilog and Pontevedra – are in the south.
The records showed all 16 candidates in Ilog, for mayor to councilor are all men with only one – John Paul Alvarez – filing his certificate of candidacy for re-election as mayor, and his brother, Genaro Rafael, as a re-electionist running mate.
The 14 candidatea for councilor, the records show, are all male: Rene Bandolos, Ron Cabral, Erlinito Castillo, Joemarie Eres, Benigno Gequillana Jr, Aldin Gualdrapa, Ramelo Javellana, Jerry Lopez,
Alex Moncada, Bobby Talde, Rommel Taleon, Rex Tipsay, Alvaro Valdesis Sr, and Mark John Vargas.
In Pontevedra, the town where former Ambassador Eduardo Cojuangco Jr waa once based, 12 of 12 candidates vying for elective seats are male.
Sitting Mayor Jose Maria Alonso leads the list as a reelectionist candidate. Running for vice mayor is Jimmy Galvan while the 10 candidates for councilors declared male as their gender: Giacomo Alonso, Jonathan Bayona, Rodolfo Catague Jr, Aurellio Garita, Elmo Gavituya, Chingbee Gilbor, Raymund Gurrea, Martin Lanzar, Dan Perez, and Samuel Rosas.
