Monday, May 21, 2007

Vice guv to retire from politics
BY BOY RYAN B. ZABAL

KALIBO, Aklan – After a lopsided defeat from vice governor-elect and former Aklan congresswoman Gabrielle Calizo (Nacionalista Party), lawyer-journalist Ronquillo “Kel” Conanan Tolentino (Lakas-CMD) is retiring from politics.
Over DyRU Super Radyo Kalibo, Tolentino said he had decided to leave politics for good and would pursue his public service as lawyer-journalist.
"All what I have done was service to humanity, a genuine public service in the next years to come through media. As journalist, we could still deliver services to our people," he stressed.
Tolentino, a three-termer Sangguniang Panlalawigan member, had been an Assistant Provincial Secretary, Provincial Manager of the Bureau of Employment Services, Ministry of Labor in Aklan and former Kalibo Sangguniang Bayan member.
He is a seasoned columnist of Panay News, an alumnus of the College Editors Guild of the Philippines and the former secretary-general of the National Union of Students of the Philippines for Western Visayas.
In 2004, he was elected vice governor of Aklan under the ruling local coalition Tibyog Akean, but he lost his reelection bid to Calizo.
Calizo got 109,097 votes. Tolentino had 71,508.
As presiding officer of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, Tolentino was instrumental in the passage of landmark ordinances, including the Economic Enterprise Development Department.
The 63-year-old veteran journalist is thinking also his retirement as professor of a law school and would concentrate in socio-civic organizations like Philippine National Red Cross, Aklan Press Club and the Boy Scouts of the Philippines.
Meanwhile, administration candidate Carlito Marquez (Lakas-CMD) dominated the gubernatorial race, besting his three closest rivals, according to Commission on Elections(Comelec).
At 3:30 a.m. Friday last week, Marquez was proclaimed the winner. The Comelec tally showed the reelectionist leading with 90,623 votes compared with the 72,339 votes of Anita Victoria Ramos (United Opposition).
Maria Bettina Mobo-Garcia (Partido ng Demokratikong Pilipino-Laban) got 28,543 and Karen Grace Galvan (Partido ng Masang Pilipino) had 1,155 votes, out of 17 towns canvassed.
In the two-cornered fight for vice governor, incumbent Tolentino (Lakas-CMD) lost in his reelection bid to Calizo (Nacionalista Party).
In the lone congressional race, reelectionist Cong. Florencio Miraflores (Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino) won over former Manila Treasurer Anthony Acevedo (PMP-GO).Miraflores, former Aklan governor from 1995 to 2001, garnered 130,093 votes compared to his rival who got 52,067 votes.
Out of the 17 towns, 14 Tibyog Akean mayors aligned with Marquez and Miraflores were elected, except for the towns of Malay, Banga and Balete.

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