Duo ends Javier’s political reign in Antique

ILOILO CITY – The duo of Senator Loren Legarda and Gov. Rhodora Cadiao ended the more than 30-year rule of the Javier political clan in Antique province with a landslide win.

Legarda is now Antique’s congresswoman-elect after an overwhelming victory against Exequiel Javier, who interchangeably served as governor and congressman from 1987-2016.

Cadiao retained the governorship by defeating incumbent Congressman Paolo Javier, the son of Exequiel.

Legarda had 199,187 to Javier’s 69,716. Cadiao garnered 182,026 votes to Congressman Javier’s 91,608 votes.

Vice Gov. Edgar Denosta, an ally of both Legarda and Cadiao, was also reelected.

Monday’s elections marked the first time since 1987 that no member of Exequiel’s family won.

Legarda also halted the planned political comeback of Exequiel, who lost the gubernatorial race to Cadiao in 2016 after facing numerous graft and corruption charges.

Legarda’s candidacy was not all smooth sailing. The former TV news anchor did not live in Antique and only transferred residency from Malabon only in January 2018. Exequiel Javier raised the residency issue in filing a disqualification case against Legarda, which was eventually dismissed by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

Legarda’s Antiqueño roots came from her maternal grandparents who hail from Pandan town. She also said her great grand-uncle, Vicente Gella, served as Antique governor in the 1920s.

Legarda’s first foray into local politics is expected to bolster her partnership with Cadiao in bringing basic services to Antique, which used to be one of the country’s poorest provinces.

Before winning the congressional seat, Legarda played a pivotal role in getting national government agencies to fund infrastructure projects and socioeconomic services for Antique. She also pushed the private sector to invest and convinced Philippine Airlines (PAL) to open a commercial flight to and from San Jose de Buenavista, the provincial capital.