MAYOR Belen Fernandez and her UnliSerbisyo team nearly made a clean sweep of the May 12 election, leaving only the last slot for the position of city councilor to the opposition, a result unprecedented in the political history of Dagupan.

Fernandez won with a commanding lead of 81,977 votes, representing 66% of the total while her opponent, Councilor Celia Lim, received 42,200 votes.

Of the 144,481 registered voters of Dagupan, 87.5% or 126,442 cast their votes, higher than the 82% turnout in the 2022 elections, based on records of the City Board of Canvassers.

Fernandez’ teammate, Vice Mayor Bryan Kua,  prevailed over former Mayor Brian Lim, Celia’s son, with 65,765 votes or 53.15% of the votes cast against the latter’s 57,965 votes. Kua will be serving his third and final term of office.

In the 10-man city council race, reelectionist Councilor Michael Fernandez topped the race with 72,462 votes, bouncing back from a 10th place finish in the 2022 election, followed by comebacking Joey Tamayo with 65,957 votes, while newcomer Tala Paras, chair of the Sangguniang Kabataan in Dagupan’s biggest barangay, Bonuan Gueset, came in third with 63,228 votes.

Reelectionist Councilor Jeslito Seen came in fourth with 62,683 votes, followed by another comebacking councilor, Karlos Reyna, with 62,468 votes, while another newcomer, Danee Canto, squeezed herself into sixth place with 61,207 votes.

Two returning councilors, Luis Samson Jr. and Marvin Fabia, are in seventh and eighth places, with Samson garnering 60,245 votes and Fabia, 59,318 votes, while their teammate, newcomer Jaja Cayabyab, a doctor, made it to ninth place with 55,275 votes.

The only oppositionist who barged into the winning column was incumbent Councilor Dada Reyna, who came in 10th place with 52,576 votes, edging UnliSerbisyo’s Joshua Bugayong, who managed to pile up only 49,858 votes. It was Reyna’s most dismal performance in any election after topping the council race in the 2019 and 2022 elections.

Five other reelectionist councilors, all from the opposition, lost their seats. (Leonardo Micua) 

MBTF wins another ‘unliserbisyo’ term

DAGUPAN Mayor Belen Fernandez received another three-year mandate from her constituents, and will be serving that with a council run by a majority of her Unliserbisyo team that won nine of the 10 seats in the May 12 elections.

Speaking to newsmen shortly after their proclamation in the early hours of May 13, Fernandez said the city’s progress and development for the next three years will be faster without the political opposition in the  Sangguniang Panlungsod obstructing her programs.

Her team, led by Vice Mayor Bryan Kua, and candidates for the council: Michael Fernandez, Joey Tamayo, Tala Paras, Jeslito Seen, Karlos Reyna, Danee Canto, Luis Samson Jr., Marvin Fabia and Jaja Cayabyab won handily.

Reelectionist Councilor Dada Reyna was the lone opposition bet who won, and unexpectedly joined the Unliserbisyo proclamation ceremony, an indication that she is willing to reconcile with the Fernandez administration.

The mayor said their victory in this election means the people of Dagupan support her administration and its programs, including the P200 million yearly scholarship, elevation of all flood-prone national roads, home visits to the sick and other services, health and welfare services for senior citizens, PWDs and other underprivileged citizens, among others.

She said there will be 1,000 more scholars to be added to the program, enabling more sons and daughters of poor families to go to college and improve their lives.

Her administration will also pursue the restoration of the Mother and Child Hospital, which was aborted when the opposition-dominated SP dilly-dallied and belatedly passed the required resolution authorizing her to sign a memorandum of agreement with the Department of Health. (Leonardo Micua)

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