MikeLigalig.com

By Kit Bagaipo
The Bohol Chronicle

Two father and son teams who are both running for the mayoralty and vice mayoralty posts in their towns during the recent polls failed to prove their dominance in local politics.

In both cases, the fathers, who are serving their third and last terms as mayor, tapped their sons to gun for their municipality's top position while both also decided to slide down as vice mayoralty candidates.

In Guindulman town, incumbent Mayor Oriculo Granada, ran for vice mayor alongside his son Renanti Granada and both were crushed by their opponents who are also sisters, Ma. Fe Piezas and Marivic Golosino.

Likewise, in the town of Albur , mayoralty bet Ephraim Tungol and runningmate-father, incumbent Mayor Efren Tungol, lost by a wide margin against their opponents former mayor Jose Ugdoracion and runningmate Cirilo Jalad.

While viewed by many as a refusal to give way to other equally qualified aspirants, many "political families" in this island province are practically handing down their elective posts to relatives.

While the two father and son teams suffered political upsets, the mother and son tandem of incumbent Buenavista Mayor Elsa Tirol and vice mayoralty aspirant Lowell Tirol came out with convincing victories against their opponents.

The younger Tirol was an eleventh-hour replacement owing to the demise of his father (former mayor Leandro Tirol, who was then incumbent/re-electionist vice mayor) a few weeks into the polls.

This could be an indication of the Tirols' continued dominance in Buenavista despite the passing of their patriarch who is considered by many as one of the political kingpins of northern Bohol.

On the other hand, the father and daughter team-up of re-electionist Sagbayan Mayor Jimmy Torrefranca and runningmate-daughter Valerie Torrefranca-Narona also won against their rivals. The younger Torrefranca winning by a slim margin against her opponent.

Some quarters say that the good showing of political families in the recent elections may be attributed to the satisfactory performance of the family member currently in office or their formidable clout in their respective towns.

An example of which is the clean sweep made by newly-elected Inabanga Mayor Jose Jono Jumamoy and his entire slate.

Despite being branded a product of a political dynasty, the Jumamoy's having held the Inabanga officialdom for over two decades, the U.S. educated young Jumamoy proved he has endeared the Inabangnons as he defeated his opponent by a margin of more than 11,000 votes.

Meanwhile, in Bien Unido, re-electionist Mayor Marianita Garcia and her uncle incumbent Vice Mayor Bernardino Garcia also lost to their opponents.

The incumbent chief executive, wife of the former town mayor Lingging Garcia, was beaten by a young newcomer in Bien Unido politics, Nino Rey Boniel.

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