WOMEN LEADERS. Three women in Davao Region are proclaimed governors-elect in the May 9, 2022 elections. Neophytes Yvonne Roño Cagas (left) won in Davao del Sur and Dorothy Gonzaga, (center) former Court of Appeals (CA) associate justice, triumphed in Davao de Oro, while Corazon Malanyaon ran unopposed in Davao Oriental. (Photo taken from the candidates' respective Facebook Pages)
DAVAO CITY – Three female governors have been proclaimed election winners in the Davao Region.
The women leaders are Corazon Malanyaon who ran unopposed in Davao Oriental's gubernatorial race; neophyte candidate Dorothy Gonzaga who defeated an incumbent rival; and another neophyte Yvonne Roño Cagas, who bested two male opponents to clinch Davao del Sur's gubernatorial seat.
Cagas is the wife of outgoing Governor Marc Cagas. She defeated opponents Carl Jason Rama-Bautista and lawyer Israelito Torreon.
Gonzaga, meanwhile, is a former Court of Appeals (CA) associate justice. She defeated incumbent governor Arturo "Chiongkee" Uy. Gonzaga was appointed by former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte to the CA in 2018, replacing Justice Romeo Barza.
Malanyaon, on the other hand, served as the first district representative before winning the governor's post, which she also previously held from 2007 to 2016.
Moreover, Davao del Norte Governor Edwin Jubahib secured the gubernatorial seat for his second term by garnering 310,947 votes over opponent Roy Catalan’s 202,112.
In Davao Occidental, Franklin Bautista, who ran unopposed, obtained 102,421 votes to win the gubernatorial race, while former Rep. Lorna Bandigan won as vice-governor with 95,565 votes. (With reports from Eldie Aguirre)
