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NOW A CONGRESSMAN. New Leyte Fourth District Rep. Richard Gomez takes his oath of office during a ceremony at the Ormoc City Superdome on Tuesday (June 28, 2022). Gomez was joined by his wife, Ormoc Mayor Lucy Torres-Gomez (center), and daughter Juliana.(PNA photo by Sarwell Meniano) ORMOC CITY - Actor-turned-politician Richard Gomez on Tuesday thanked the voters of the 4th district of Leyte for making him a new congressman after two failed attempts to be a member of the House of Representatives. Gomez, the outgoing mayor of Ormoc, turned emotional as he recalled his more than two decades journey to win a congressional seat. "This was a 21-year journey. In 2001, I ran as representative of Mamamayan Ayaw sa Droga and garnered enough votes, but the Commission on Elections (Comelec) disqualified our party-list. In 2010, I participated in the congressional elections, but again I was disqualified by Comelec," Gomez said. According to the Comelec, Gomez failed to establish residency in Ormoc City in 2010. His wife, Lucy Torres-Gomez, took his place and won. In 2013, he ran for mayor of Ormoc City but lost. In 2016, he ran again and won, and was reelected in May 2019. In this year's elections, Richard, who served as mayor of Ormoc for six years, earned 148,941 votes in the congressional race against former Comelec commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal who garnered 117,912 votes. "I am very glad that I won. I will work hard and do my best to bring progress that will make a difference in the lives of the people," Richard told local officials and supporters during their oath-taking at the Ormoc Superdome. Lucy, the outgoing Leyte 4th district representative, is the new mayor of Ormoc, defeating former mayor Edward Codilla. She has been a member of the House of Representatives since 2010. "I have learned so much from Richard's dedication and passion. It's a challenge for our team to sustain the development started by Mayor Richard. We are committed to nurture what the previous administration has accomplished," she said. Among her priorities are the continuation of the fight against illegal drugs, sustaining the city's status as peaceful and orderly, health services, infrastructure projects, the building of libraries, the boost in agriculture production, and tourism development. Joining the oathtaking were winning city councilors, all allies of the celebrity couple. The Torres-Gomez clan has further tightened their political grip in Leyte's 4th district in this year's elections. Among the winning officials from the clan are Kananga town Mayor Matthew Torres (Lucy's younger brother), Ormoc Councilor Caren Torres-Rama (Lucy's elder sister), and 4th district Board Member Vince Rama (Caren's husband). (PNA) }
TACLOBAN CITY - Same clans will control the key elective positions in Leyte and Biliran provinces in the next three years, as incumbent officials and their family members succeeded in holding their sway in local governance, by defeating less popular opponents. In Leyte, Carlos Jericho Petilla will return as governor, the post he held for three full terms nine years ago. He will replace his younger brother, Leopoldo Dominico, who has been the province's chief executive since 2013. The family has been reigning in Leyte province since 1992. The clan's matriarch Remedios, the former Leyte governor and solon, will return as mayor of Palo town, replacing Anne, the wife of Carlos Jericho. The Petillas are members of one country's oldest political dynasty. The first member was Jose Ma. Veloso who became Leyte first district representative for three terms (1922-1925; 1935-1938; 1941-1946) and senator for two terms (1916-1919 and 1925-1935) during the Commonwealth period. Jose Ma. is the grandfather of Remedios, whose sister Carmen Cari, successfully expanded the political dynasty in the 5th district of Leyte. Carmen retired from politics in 2019. Carmen's son, Jose Carlos was re-elected as mayor of Baybay City. The mayor's son, Nicholas Carl, is unopposed in the congressional race. Leyte 1st district Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez had no opponent in his bid to return to Congress for the third term, the post he held since 2007. Martin is the nephew of former First Lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos and son of former Leyte Governor Benjamin Romualdez, who ruled the province during the administration of Ferdinand Marcos, Sr. Marcos, Jr., who has a wide lead in the presidential vote, is Martin's first cousin. Martin's wife, Tingog Party-list Rep. Yedda, is assured of a seat in the House of Representatives as their party list ranks third in the partial and unofficial count as of May 10. Another cousin of Marcos, Jr., Alfred won in his bid to reign the regional capital once again. He is the son of Alfredo, Imelda's younger brother who served as the city's mayor from 1998 to 2007. Alfred has been the city mayor from 2007 to 2016 and from 2019 to present. Lolita Javier will serve a second term in the House of Representatives after defeating former Rep. Henry Ong. Her son, Jassie Tanala won in the mayoralty race in Jaro town. Lolita is the wife of Leonardo Javier, the owner of Andok's Litson Corp. Javier, a former a mayor of Javier town, will be the new Leyte vice governor. He is the running-mate of Carlos Jericho. Javier's son, Michael Dragon won a second term as Javier town mayor. Actor-turned Mayor Richard Gomez of Ormoc City and wife, Leyte 4th district Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez succeeded in their bid to swap posts. The couple defeated the Codilla clan in the mayoralty race and former election commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal in the congressional race. Lucy's brother, Matt Torres is still the mayor of Kananga, Leyte. In Leyte's 3rd district, unopposed Anna Veloso-Tuazon, an incumbent board member, will replace his father, Rep. Ching Veloso, a former appellate court justice, in the House of Representatives. Meanwhile in Biliran Province, Naval Mayor Gerard Espina won the gubernatorial race, replacing his father, Rogelio, who is retiring from politics. His uncle, Gerardo, Jr. is re-elected as the lone district representative of the province. The Espinas, who ran successful campaigns against their rivals, have been in control of the small province since its creation in 1992. In Southern Leyte, Governor Damian Mercado and her sister, Emily, the vice gubernatorial bet are unopposed. Emily is a neophyte in local politics, replacing the clan's ally, Vice Governor Christopherson Yap, who won in the congressional race in the Southern Leyte's new 2nd district. In the first district, Luz Mercado won the congressional race. Luz is the wife of Roger, the acting Public Works secretary, who served as member of House of Representatives from 2004 to 2013 and from 2016 to last year when he was appointed as a Cabinet member. (PNA) }
LEADING. Ormoc City Mayor Richard Gomez. The official is the top choice in Leyte's 4th district congressional race based on surveys.(PNA file photo) TACLOBAN CITY - Actor-turned-mayor Richard Gomez remained the top choice for congressional post in Leyte's 4th district, according to local surveys. Gomez, who has been the mayor of Ormoc since 2016, is picked by 79.5 percent of voters in the northwestern part of Leyte province based on April's survey. The figure is higher than the 74.8 percent preference recorded last February. His rival, former Commission on Elections commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal is the choice of 17.1 percent of voters last month, higher than the 15.9 percent earned two months earlier. The sample size of surveys conducted by various firms was 5,000 with an error percentage of 3 percent plus or minus. "Despite several issues raised against me, voters did not believe. With peace and order in the core of our governance, in 2016, we're able to flip Ormoc City, once known as the drug capital of Eastern Visayas, into the safest city in the country in 2017, 2018, and 2020," Gomez said in a statement on Tuesday. "It was also under my leadership that Ormoc enjoyed a boom, becoming the richest and most progressive city in Eastern Visayas," he added. The congressional bid of Gomez is backed by all six incumbent town mayors in Leyte's 4th district. Larrazabal, on the other hand, has allied with the Codillas, the clan that ruled Ormoc City for decades until 2016. Richard's wife, Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez, is running as mayor of Ormoc City to replace him. (PNA) }
CONGRESSIONAL SEAT. Ormoc City Mayor Richard Gomez in this February 27 photo. The actor-turned-politician said Tuesday (March 1, 2022) he will not be part of the "silent committee" once elected as a member of the House of Representatives.(Photo courtesy of Ormoc City government) TACLOBAN CITY - Actor-turned-politician Richard Gomez said he will not be part of the "silent committee" once elected as a member of the House of Representatives. Gomez, the current mayor of Ormoc City, said he's very familiar with the legislative process in Congress having served for nine years as chief of staff of his wife, Lucy Torres-Gomez, also a celebrity. The couple will attempt to swap posts in this year's elections. "I will not be a bystander at the House of Representatives. I will actively take part in committee and plenary discussions and push for the best interest of my district. I will make sure that Leyte's 4th district gets its share," Gomez said in a statement on Tuesday. The official issued the statement after some of his critics posted on Facebook questioning his competence and reminded voters in northwest Leyte that governance is not a "talent show." Gomez, who has been the mayor of Ormoc City in the past six years, is running against former Commission on Elections commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal, a lawyer. Gomez said he would take part in budget deliberations at the House of Representatives and make sure that Leyte's 4th district gets the needed funding for social services and financial support for infrastructure development. The official vowed to push for legislation that seeks to sustain national government support for the geothermal power plant in Leyte, including infrastructure projects that would not only provide jobs to city residents but also boost the plants' operations and power output. The Energy Development Corp. maintains one of the world's biggest 9711.4-megawatt) geothermal facilities in Ormoc City and Kananga in Leyte. Other priorities include the enactment of measures for youth and sports development, anti-illegal drugs, and the imposition of heavy sanctions on sources of fake news. Leyte's 4th district consists of Ormoc City and adjacent towns of Albuera, Isabel, Kananga, Matag-ob, Merida, and Palompon. These areas have a total population of 471,197. (PNA) }
The electoral body’s guidelines on adherence to COVID-19 protocols can be open to corruption and abuse by political parties and candidates, election lawyers said Wednesday.