BANGUED, Abra—Two former political allies who have worked together for orderly elections here in the past decade will go against each other in the May 2016 elections.
The relationship of Gov. Eustaquio Bersamin and Rep. Maria Jocelyn Valera-Bernos was severed after the latter allegedly announced her intention to run for the gubernatorial post which the former would vacate when she still has one term remaining.
Bersamin, who is on his last term as local chief executive of the province, will run for mayor of the capital town of Bangued. He will face incumbent Mayor Dominique Valera, father of the lawmaker, in a one-on-one matchup.
For the province’s gubernatorial post, Bernos will be facing Ruby Bersamin, wife of the incumbent governor.
Three-term San Juan Mayor Marco Bautista will be fielded by the Liberal Party in the congressional post; he will face La Paz Mayor Joseph Bernos, brother-in-law of Maria Jocelyn, to be fielded by a still-undisclosed political party.
The administration party, chaired by Gov. Bersamin, will also be fielding former Vice Governor Rolando Somera for the vice gubernatorial position while incumbent Vice Governor Rosario Charry Bersamin, daughter of the late Rep. Luis Bersamin Jr., will run for vice mayor of Bangued.
Gov. Bersamin remains confident, however, that with the peaceful and orderly atmosphere established in previous elections would hold.
“We have adhered to the policy of peaceful and orderly elections and we hope that our political rivals will do the same so as not to bring back the dark image of the province,” Gov. Bersamin stressed.