ANGELES CITY – The two most progressive and highly contested villages in the Metro Clark area now have newlyelected leaders.
Barangay Balibago here and Barangay Dau, the biggest barangay in nearby Mabalacat City, have elected new village chiefs.
Former Pampanga 1st District representative and three-term Angeles City mayor Carmelo “Tarzan” Lazatin, 83, clinched the chairmanship of Barangay Balibago here in last Monday’s polls easing out Tess Mamac, wife of incumbent village chairman Tony Mamac. Lazatin garnered 4,294 votes to his rival’s 3,787 votes.
“The election is over and it’s time to work,” Lazatin quipped after his proclamation on Tuesday and thanked the residents of Balibago for believing in him.
Derrick Dee, son of the late businessman Anthony Dee who was the political archrival of former Mabalacat Mayor Boking Morales, won over the incumbent barangay captain, Dr. Oscar Aurelio.
Lazatin went early to the Gueco Elementary School here to cast his vote arriving at the polling place at around 7:30 a.m.
Lazatin said his main reason for running is to lend support to his two sons – both named after him and distinguished by their nicknames: Pogi, city councilor; and Jonjon, congressman of the first district – in the May 9, 2016 polls.
The elder Lazatin said he acts as an adviser to his two sons.
He explained that due to his advance age (he will be turning 84 on June 29), he cannot be appointed to a government post anymore but he can still serve the people in an elective post as village chair.
On the other hand, Dee won via landslide garnering a total vote of 8,025 with all of his team winning as kagawads. In his Facebook post, Dee thanked residents of Dau for their overwhelming support.
Other big winners in this city are Augusto Flores who defeated incumbent barangay captain and ABC president Lito Ganzon in Barangay Anunas; Alberto C. Fajardo in Barangay Salapungan winning over incumbent Rey Malig; and incumbent Barangay Captain Bernardo Santos of Pulungbulu who was reelected notwithstanding his being recently tagged by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) as a narco-politician.
In Mabalacat City, among the other big winners are Jayson Viray who won via landslide in Barangay Mamatitang with the former barangay captain, Eliser Lacsamana, landing number one kagawad; Elmer Calaguas is the new chairman in Barangay Mabiga easing out the incumbent; and Robert “Dobet” Layson is elected chair of Barangay San Francisco winning over the incumbent.
