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by Lorie A. Cascaro, Vicky M. de Guzman, and PIA’s Mai Gevera
Sara Z. Duterte-Carpio, Davao City’s first ever elected lady mayor and the youngest of them all, wants her three-year administration to empower various departments of the city government, and not merely focus her attention on the city mayor’s office.
This, in a nutshell, was Inday Sara’s pre-proclamation statement to the media after it became clear that she won the most hotly-contested mayoral race in the city’s history.
Only in her 30’s, the daughter of City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte trounced House Speaker Prospero C. Nograles, 62, in a one-sided contest. Sara garnered 388,465 votes as against the 160,225 votes of Nograles, or a difference of 228,240 votes, the biggest winning margin ever of a candidate for Davao City mayor over a rival. The results also showed that the lady vice mayor defeated the House Speaker in all three congressional districts.
Mayor Rody, who was the target of the most virulent attacks by Team Nograles throughout the campaign, made history himself by demolishing former mayor Benjamin C. De Guzman’s vice-mayoralty bid by more than 300,000. Mayor Duterte got 440,030 votes, while de Guzman garnered only 105,962 votes, or a whopping margin of 334,068 votes.
Ben earlier lost twice to Rody in 2001 and 2004 for mayor, a record in itself.
The young Duterte said major changes will be implemented in the city administration, most significant of which is the empowerment of other city departments, as she will not just focus on the City Mayor’s Office.
There will be a lot of movements in the city government, said Inday Sara, referring to the activities and focus of the initial months of her administration to start on July 1st.
“Those who are not willing to work with me may resign,” she said. This was taken to mean that officials and employees in the current administration under her father are free to quit if they do not agree with her style of leadership, or have other plans in their careers.
While the departments will be empowered, she would demand dedication from the department and division chiefs to come up with creative projects that would boost education, health, the economy, employment, tourism, investment, and improve peace and order.
However, she put emphasis on the City Investments Promotion Office, which she said must be more aggressive this time.
“They must come up with something new. We need to go out and find investors and not just wait for them to come here,” she said.
The Commission on Elections proclaimed all elected officials of Davao City led by Inday Sara less than three days after the elections on Monday.
Proclaimed aside from Sara were Rody Duterte, vice mayor-elect; Karlo B. Nograles, First District congressman-elect; Mylene J. Garcia-Albano, Second District congresswoman-elect; Isidro Ungab, Third District re-elected congressman;
Councilors for First District (according to rank): Wendel E. Avisado (topnotcher), Leah Librado, Edgar Ibuyan, Emmanuel Galicia, Melchor Quitain, Nilo Abellera Jr., Joanne Bonguyan, and Pilar C. Braga;
Councilors for Second District: Louie John Bonguyan (topnotcher), Dante Apostol, Tomas Monteverde IV, Arnulfo Cabling, Alryan Alejandre, Marissa Salvador-Abella, Jimmy Dureza, April Marie Dayap.
Councilors for the Third District: Karlo S. Bello (topnotcher), Rachel Zozobrado, Myrna Dalodo-Ortiz, Bernard Al-ag, Jose Louie Villafuerte, Rene Elias Lopez, Conrado Baluran and Victorio Y. Advincula Jr.
12 lawyers
Of all the 29 elected officials – mayor, vice mayor, three congressmen and 24 councilors -12 are lawyers – Mayor-elect Sara, Vice Mayor-elect Rody Duterte, congressman-elect Karlo Nograles and congresswoman-elect Mylene Garcia, Councilors-elect Avisado, Librado, Galicia and Quitain in the First District; Cabling in the Second; and Bello, Zozobrado and Advincula Jr. in the Third.
Other professions
Only Lopez, who was once a city councilor who later lost when he ran for congressman, is a medical practitioner. Ungab is an erstwhile banker, Alejandre a broadcaster, Dr. Braga an educator, and Abella a former Mutya ng Dabaw and barangay captain like Ibuyan. Avisado, Galicia and Dureza are comebacking former councilors. Dayap is a former Kabataang Barangay federation president and served as city councillor representing the youth sector. Joanne Bonguyan, who had worked in a hotel as an accountant after graduating from college, and optometrist Bernard Al-ag.
Of the elected officials, only two (Dayap and Joanne Bonguyan) are in their 20’s, nine are in their 30’s (led by Mayor–elect Inday Sara), five in their 40’s, nine in their 50’s, four in their 60’s and one in his 70’s.
