Del Rosario reelection bid unopposed

A day after the last day of filing of certificates of candidacy, incumbent Davao del Norte Gov. Rodolfo del Rosario hang out with media friends at the Capitol Cafeteria.
He exchanged banter with them, saying it is his way of celebrating after realizing that he will have a smooth ride in the run-up to next year’s local elections.
The beaming Del Rosario is running unopposed as he seeks reelection – a situation which basically assures him of an easy win. 
The die was cast after former Miss Universe, Margarita “Margie” Moran-Floirendo, last week announced that she was backing out of the gubernatorial race in the province.
This is the third time Del Rosario is running without an opponent in his entire political career that spans more than three decades.
The first time was when he launched his congressional bid in the 1992 national elections for the then third district of the undivided Davao del Norte.
It was there that Del Rosario, who is also referred to as ‘Dolfo’ or ‘RDR’ by his friends, made history as a politician. In that election, he was tagged as the first politician to have run unopposed in the country’s political history.
The second time was when he first ran for governor of the new province of Davao del Norte in 1998. 
RDR earlier said his motive for seeking reelection is to continue his no-nonsense, honest-to-goodness service to the people and not simply to run against anybody else.
“I am not running against anyone. I am running because I want to retain my position as governor,” he told the media. 
He said he is determined to continue his accelerating minimum basic needs (MBN) approach to development, with the comprehensive RDR WHEELS agenda as its vehicle. He wants to make certain the P235-million stimulus fund will underwrite the 339 various infrastructure projects of the 223 barangays of Davao del Norte. 
That is different from filing for election based on personal motives, as when one runs for the sake of beating an opponent(s), he said.
According to him, it is where politically-motivated violence comes into the picture, in reference to what happened recently in Maguindanao where more than 50 people, including members of the media, were killed. 
“That is something that we should not allow (to happen) here in our province,” he stressed.