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Ateneo FactCheck 2013 Twelfth Brief

Fact Check: Local Election Dynamics Claim: That there are local electoral contests where reform-oriented candidates are challenging well-entrenched political dynasties to offer an alternative platform of governance To validate this claim, we looked at four sub-claims in four localities where such kind of electoral contest is said to be present. These are as follows: That one of the candidates is from well-entrenched political dynasties. That the other candidate has solid background on reform work in civil society/ social movement. That the reform-oriented candidates are all premising their platform on the critique of the existing poverty and corruption situation of the locality. That the poverty and corruption situation in these localities are indeed serious problems. The electoral contests checked are: Mayoralty election in Lagayan, Abra between/ among the Lunas and Bernadine Joson Gubernatorial contest in Masbate between/ among the Lanetes, Khos, and Fr. Leo Casas Congressional election in the third district of Camarines Sur between/among the Villafuertes, and Leni Robredo Congressional contest in the lone district of Dinagat Island between/among Ecleos, and Kaka Bag-ao

Fact Checked #1: One of the candidates is from well-entrenched political dynasties. In four areas, one of the candidates is from a political dynasty.
Area 1 Abra Candidate Jendrix Luna Political Family Luna Clan History of Political Dynasty The Lunas are today considered one of Abras most feared and influential families. In October 2010, Jendricks Page 1 of 5

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successfully ran for barangay captain of Poblacion in Lagayan and was later elected head of the Association of Barangay Captains, a position that allows him to sit in the municipal council. He abandoned his mayoralty race due to the criticism of having three brothers running for public office. However, the familys matriarch, Cecilia, fielded her 82-year-old aunt, Purificacion Paingan, in his stead. Purificacion won, as did Cecilias son Ryan for Bangued mayor. She also has her youngest daughter Lara Haya vice mayor of Lagayan, a position previously held by Cecilia sixth child, Hans. 2 Camarines Sur Nelly Villafuerte Villafuerte Clan They have been dominating local elective positions in the province since 1978 or more than three decades already. The Seachon-Lanetes have been in power for almost 20 years. Rizalina Seachon-Lanete, the incumbent governor of Masbate, is seeking reelection. Lanete was a former representative of the third district when she ran for governor and won in 2010.

Masbate

Rizalina Seachon-Lanete Antonio Kho

Seachon-Lanete and Kho Clans

Dinagat Islands

Gwendolyn Ecleo

Ecleo Clans

The Ecleos have occupied various elective and appointive local government positions in the province for almost five decades already since Reuben Ecleo Sr. first ran for Mayor of San Jose in 1963. Currently, the mother is the incumbent, governor. Her son is the elected lone district representative and her daughter is a mayor of one of the towns.

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Fact Checked #2: The other candidate has solid background on reform work in civil society/ social movement.
Alternative Candidate Bernadine Jocson Background Former secretary of the Sangguniang Bayan of Lagayan. A star witness in a plunder case against the Lunas. In 2011, she filed several charges against the powerful clan. Devoted her time as an alternative lawyer working as a member of the Bicol Chapter of Sentrong Alternatibong Lingap Panligal (SALIGAN), a legal resource non-governmental organization doing developmental legal work with women, farmers, workers, the urban poor, the indigenous peoples and local communities with operations reaching beyond the Bicol region Convenor of Masbate Advocates for Peace, a multisectoral group that was formed in 2010 to seek an end to political violence in the province Director of the Social Action Center of the Diocese of Masbate for seven years Co-chair of the Bicol Regional Development Council representing the private sector since 2007. Currently, caretaker representative of the lone district of Dinagat One of Akbayans two Partylist representatives in Congress. One of the founders and a former executive director of BALAOD Mindanaw, a law group based in Mindanao, working for the advancement and protection of the rights of farmers most importantly. A special consultant to the Secretary of the Department of Agrarian Reform and facilitated the awarding of numerous land titles to farmerbeneficiaries. Lead counsel in the Sumilao Farmers case One of the two lady public prosecutors in the impeachment trial of convicted Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona

1 Abra

2 Camarines Leni Sur Robredo

3 Masbate

Fr. Leo Casas

4 Dinagat Islands

Arelen Kaka Bag-ao

Fact Checked #3: The reform-oriented candidates are all premising their platform on the critique of the existing poverty and corruption situation of the locality Fact!
Critique of Alternative Candidates on Socio-Economic-Political Situation Ms. Joson charged Jendricks, who succeeded his mother Cecilia as mayor when she became congresswoman in 2007, with plunder with Page 3 of 5
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Abra

his mother. He is being made to account for P77 million in Lagayan funds from 2007 to 2010. Furthermore, she added that Jendricks pocketed P33.4 million in funds for development projects that never materialized but were approved and appropriated for in the Annual Investment Plan. 2 Camarines Sur Ms. Robredo claims that the prevalence of poverty and corruption in Camarines Sur is due to the entrenchment of political dynasties especially the Villafuertes for the third district Masbate has been a perennial election hot spot due to the number of armed encounters there among members and supporters of warring political clan Dinagat has been deprived of receiving substantial government financial resource through the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) because its former representative has been a fugitive of from the law having been convicted of parricide. Hence, he was not able to perform his functions as representative.

Masbate

Dinagat Islands

Fact Checked #3: The poverty and corruption situation in these localities are indeed serious problems facing these localities.
Socio-Economic-Political Situation Lagayan is a fifth-class town with a population of just over 4,000 spread out in only five barangays located in northwestern Abra bordering Ilocos Norte. Yet its huge land area of 215 square kilometers entitles it to substantial Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) from the national government.The province's records show that Lagayan received P32 million in IRA in 2009, ranking eighth out of Abra's 27 towns. Yet, due to the continued graft and corruption, charged to the Lunas, economic growth is hampered, which is further aggravated by political violence in an attempt to remain in power. In this campaign period, three armed men reportedly hit the house of Leonardo Garcia with bullets yesterday. Garcia is a known supporter Ms. Joson. Ms. Joson could not blame anyone else but the Lunas. 2 Camarines Sur Camarines Sur is the biggest province in the Bicol region in terms of geographical size and population yet it is also one of the poorest. According to the 2009 National Statistics Board study, the incidence of poverty in Camarines Sur increased from 2003 to 2009. Seven towns Page 4 of 5
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Abra

have a poverty incidence of over 50% and more than 20 towns have a poverty incidence of 41-50% and only one town has a poverty incidence between 21-30%. This is because the peoples income did not increase with the subsequent increase in prices of goods. Throughout the entrenchment of the Villafuerte, Camarines Sur economy and poverty has never improved significantly. In terms of health situation, Camarines Sur ranked first with the most underweight and severely underweight pre-school children with 40,607 out of 212,858 preschoolers weighed while 3,334 are overweight in Bicol Region according to the National Nutrition Council. And based on the Operation Timbang 2011 results submitted by the provincial and city health offices, CamSur ranked first with grave malnutrition problem Graft and corruption also plague Camarines Sur as the incumbent governor has been the subject of several graft and corruption, and plunder cases for alleged malversation of public funds 3 Masbate Masbate is one of the poorest provinces in the Philippines, with poverty incidence of 51.0% in 2006. The province has been in the list of top ten poorest since 1997, ranking first in 2000, third in 2003, and eighth in 2006. Seven of the ten poorest in 2000 were able to cast off their poorest tags in 2003, majority registering double-digit declines in their poverty incidences. On the other hand, Masbate and two others remained in the list, with Masbate as the only province which had consistently been in the ten poorest since 1997. No significant positive economic growth during the entrenchment of the political dynasties. Dinagat has consistently been ranked as one of the top five poorest provinces in the Philippines. It also has one of the smallest income in terms of taxes, and one of the five provinces that are dependent on the Internal Revenue Allotment, according to a 2007-2009 survey conducted by the National Statistical Coordination Board. Graft and corruption also hounds the government of Dinagat Province. Reuben Ecleo, Jr., who was delisted from the roll of representatives in Congress has been the subject of several graft and corruption charges involving alleged malversation of public funds as well as being convicted of the crime of parricide for killing his young wife.

Dinagat Islands

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