North Cotabato governor-elect offers hand of conciliation

KIDAPAWAN CITY – Governor-elect Nancy Alaan Catamco has offered conciliatory leadership in North Cotabato, urging her rivals in the midterm elections to set aside politics and rally her administration to bring the province to greater heights.

“I urge all candidates who did not make it in the recent polls to amplify concern for the public welfare, and respect the result of the elections. Let’s show to our people that we respect their decision,” Catamco said in a Visayan statement issued shortly after her proclamation last week.

Catamco assured the provincial government’s rank and file workers she will not hold their support to her rival candidate against them.

“You have nothing to fear about my succession. Vindictiveness is not my attitude. Just continue working and proving your worth in our common vision for good and participatory governance,” she told capitol workers.

Catamco, who ran for governor after finishing her last term as congresswoman in North Cotabato’s 2nd district, beat the father of outgoing three-term governor Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza, Carmen municipal Mayor Roger Taliño, 272,249 votes to 268,718.

Mendoza garnered 326,718 votes to win the vice gubernatorial race against Catamco’s running-mate, Socrates Piñol, younger brother of former North Cotabato Governor and now Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol.

Piñol, an incumbent provincial board member, had 209,064 votes.

Secretary Piñol’s daughter, political neophyte Krista, took the Sangguniang Panlalawigan slot in the 2nd district.

But Piñol’s two other siblings – Kidapawan City Vice Mayor Bernardo Jr. and former Magpet municipal mayor Efren, lost it in their bid for mayor and a congressional seat for the second district, respectively.

Bernardo Jr. lost to reelection-seeking Mayor Joseph Evangelista, while Efren was outvoted by outgoing Makilala town Mayor Rudy Caoagdan. Both Evangelista and Caoagdan are political allies of the Taliños.