Leyte 5th district Congressman-elect Carl Nicolas Cari (left); Carigara, Leyte Vice Mayor-elect Eduardo Ong, Jr. (center); and Catbalogan City, Samar mayor-elect Dexter Uy (right). (PNA photo by Roel Amazona)
TACLOBAN CITY -- Three millennials from popular clans succeeded in their first attempts to hold key elective positions in Eastern Visayas amid criticisms of lack of leadership experience.
On Wednesday, the provincial board of canvassers proclaimed Carl Nicolas Cari, as congressman-elect of Leyte’s 5th District, replacing his father, incumbent Rep. Jose Carlos, who won as Baybay City mayor.
At 26, Carl Nicolas will be the youngest solon from Eastern Visayas region in the next Congress. He is currently an ex-officio member of the city council as president of the city’s association of village chiefs.
He garnered 33,087 votes, more than double than the 16,786 votes earned by businesswoman Marilou Baligod.
When asked what will be his priority legislation, the younger Cari said that he will craft laws for farmers.
“Our farmers have been suffering especially coconut farmers because of the declining price of copra in the market.”
Carl Nicolas is a grandson of Carmen Cari, the clan’s matriarch and outgoing Baybay City mayor. Carmen’s grandfather Jose Ma. Veloso 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.
Their family is Leyte’s oldest political dynasty, reigning before the era of Romualdezes of former First Lady Imelda Romualdez-Marcos.
In Samar's capital city of Catbalogan, 25-year-old Dexter Uy is the new mayor-elect after a one-on-one race against businessman and politician Von Zosa. Dexter garnered 28,285 votes ahead of 21,241 votes obtained by Zosa.
Dexter, is the son of Coefredo, a long-time city mayor who was proclaimed vice mayor-elect. His sister, suspended Mayor Stephanie, is a newly-elected city councilor. Dexter served as Sangguniang Kabataan Federation President of Catbalogan in 2012.
“I am thankful to all residents of Catbalogan City for trusting and voting me. As the new mayor, I will be focusing on developmental projects that will bring improvements and progress to the city,” Uy said in a text message.
The youngest newly-elected official is 22-year-old Eduardo Ong Jr., who won as vice mayor to his namesake and father, Eduardo Ong Sr., the incumbent municipal mayor of Carigara town. The elder Ong also won for his third and final term as the town’s local chief executive.
The vice-mayor elect won with 20,585 votes against the 7,317 votes of incumbent Carigara Vice-Mayor Mildred Modesto.
The younger Ong's dominance in the vice-mayoralty race is a bitter-sweet victory for his family after his uncle, Leyte 2nd District Rep. Henry Ong, lost his bid for a second term in the House of Representatives.
The father and uncle of Eduardo Jr. toppled the more than the 30-year reign of Apostol clan in Carigara and the 2nd District of Leyte in the 2013 and 2016 elections.
“It’s a huge privilege to be trusted with the municipal council of Carigara. Foundations will be laid the next three years to ensure the sustainable growth of our municipality,” Ong said in his statement posted on social media.
Eduardo Jr. is a fresh graduate of business management of the De La Salle University in Manila where he grew up.
Since last year, he has been running a comedy bar with 10 workers in Metrowalk, a commercial hub in Pasig City. (PNA)
