With the entry of Ver Roque in the gubernatorial race, will 1Bataan still dominate the 2019 local elections in the Province of Bataan?
Bataan is a highly contested area primarily because of its being an economic zone and strategic geolocation providing easy access to Manila Bay and Subic Freeport, and because of its votes estimated to be 545,041 this year. Control of the province is therefore crucial particularly to investors and locators that make Bataan a highly industrialized province.
In general, local power is controlled by the Garcias starting from Enrique “Tet” Garcia down to the second or even third generation. Tet, who was convicted of graft, was succeeded by his son, Albert “Abet” Garcia. Other Garcias in power are Jose Enrique “Joet” S. Garcia III, the Congressional District Representative of the Second District; Maria Angela S. Garcia, the municipal mayor of Dinalupihan; and Francis Garcia, the city mayor of Balanga.
The Garcias took the local power from the Romans and the Payumos. After more than two decades, the Garcias are being threatened by Lilvir Roque, the mayor of Limay who made the municipal coffers grew fivefold from P200 million to P1 billion in just seven years from 2010 to 2017. The P 61 million municipal debt inherited by Roque was also fully paid with his sound economic policies. With these feat being trumpeted around Bataan, will the Garcias finally bow down to Roque and allow the latter to efficiently manage also the provincial coffers now marked by debts and red flags from the Commission on Audit?
Continue reading “2019 Bataan Province Candidates”
