𝗦𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗗 𝗢𝗣𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗯𝘆 𝗕𝘆: 𝗔𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗻 𝗙𝗲𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗠. 𝗖𝗮𝗯𝗮𝗹𝘂

THE recently concluded May 12 midterm elections proved once again that the province of Tarlac is a stronghold of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC), as 16 out of 18 elected mayors, 12 vice mayors and 110 out of 146 councilors elected in the province are members of the party.

Jappy De Dios (Anao), Joey Salting (Bamban), Joyce Agustin (Camiling), Susan Yap (Tarlac City), Noel Villanueva (Concepcion), May Eclar (Gerona), Illuminado Pobre Jr. (Mayantoc), RB Aquino (Moncada), Kat Roxas (Paniqui), Epoy Balmores (Pura), Celso Banag (Ramos), Roseller Toledo (San Clemente), Donya Tesoro (San Manuel), Bong Tan (Sta. Ignacia) and Rex Villa Agustin (Victoria) are NPC members.
Two other mayors, Reporma’s Venus Jordan (La Paz) and independent Boots Rodriguez (Capas) are adopted candidates of the NPC.

Salting, Agustin, Yap, Eclar, Aquino, Roxas, Balmores, Toledo and Tan are first-time mayors.

In the vice mayoral race, the 12 elected NPC stalwarts are Gladdys Agustin (Camiling), Evelyn Rivera (Concepcion), Eloy Eclar (Gerona), Venus Tomas (Mayantoc), Jessie Aquino (Moncada), Jake Roxas (Paniqui), Bong Suniga (Ramos), Elma Macadamia (San Clemente), Riza Eugenio-Joaquin (San Jose), Sir Benjanin Tesoro (San Manuel), Tani Guiam (Victoria) and Lorna Manalo (La Paz).

Agustin, Rivera, Eclar, Aquino, Roxas, Suniga and Macadamia are newly elected vice mayors.

There are three independent bets that won a vice mayoral seat and they are Ding Anunciacion (Bamban), Alex Espinosa (Capas) and Ponce Candelario (Sta. Ignacia). Two, namely, KT Angeles-Go (Tarlac City) and Ching Almazan (Anao), are Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP) and one Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL) member in the person of Concepcion Zarate secured a seat.

In the council race, Anao has six NPC winners, one PFP and one independent; Bamban with six NPC, one PFP and one independent; Camiling has seven NPC and one PFP; Tarlac City was split into five NPC and five PFP; Concepcion has five NPC, two PFP and one Aksyon Demokratiko elected; in Gerona, seven are NPC members and one PFP; Mayantoc has six NPC and two PFP; Paniqui with NPC and one PFP; Pura has seven NPC and one independent; Ramos has five NPC, two independent and one PFP; San Clemente voted for five NPC, one PFP, one NUP and one independent; San Jose has six NPC and two independent; Sta. Ignacia placed seven NPC and one PFP and Victoria with seven NPC and one PFP.

The elected councilors of the municipalities of La Paz, Moncada and San Manuel are all NPC members while in Capas, all elected councilors are independent candidates.

Of the 36 out of the possible 146 council seats, 18 are PFP members, 16 independent, one Aksyon Demokratiko and one NUP.

In the provincial races, the NPC is likewise dominant with Christian Yap and Estelita Aquino voted as governor and vice governor respectively. Out of the 10 board members elected in the three districts, seven are NPC members namely Harmes Sembrano, Pearl Angeli Erguiza-Pacada, Joy Gilbert Lamorena, Tito Roxas, Henry Cruz, Carlito David and Ton Villanueva. There are two independent bets in the person of Dennis Norman Go and Christopher delos Reyes and Aaron Villaflor of the PFP.

In the three congressional districts Jaime Cojuangco (first district) and Noel Rivera (third district) are NPC stalwarts with Cristy Angeles of the PFP collaring the second district.

Of the total 197 positions contested in Tarlac province, NPC secured 149 seats, PFP and independent candidates both have 22 winners, one Reporma, one Aksyon Demokratiko, one KBL and one NUP.

NPC has 75% of all the elected positions in the province. PFP and the independents has a percentage share of 11.5% each, Reporma, KBL, Aksyon and NUP has the other 2%.

The dominance of the NPC will stay in Tarlac for a long time as evidenced by this year’s election.

The NPC was founded in 1992 by the late Ambassador Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco Jr.