MALAYBALAY CITY (MindaNews / 10 May) – Cagayan de Oro Mayor Oscar Moreno has lost in his attempt to return as governor of Misamis Oriental, settling for third place behind Gingoog City Vice Mayor Pedro Unabia and 2nd District Rep. Juliette Uy.
Moreno only got 89,252 votes after 99.81 percent of the election returns in the province had been canvassed on Tuesday. Unabia obtained 248,403 votes and Uy 181,792 votes, according the results posted on ABS-CBN’s Halalan 2022 website (https://halalanresults.abs-cbn.com).
Moreno, a two-term congressman and three-term governor of Misamis Oriental before becoming mayor of Cagayan de Oro for three terms, had conceded defeat in a statement posted by his supporters on social media Tuesday.
“The sovereign people of Misamis Oriental have spoken, and I accept their decision. Our congratulations to Governor Pedro Unabia and all the winners. I wish them all well,” he said.
Moreno said the short campaign period prevented them from delivering their “Message of Transformation” to all the 426 barangays in the province “very clearly and in a timely manner.”
“This was certainly made a lot harder by the traditional political walls that proved impenetrable,” he added.
Moreno’s bet for vice governor, veteran NGO leader Ariel Hernandez, also placed third in the contest won by incumbent Vice Governor Jigjag Pelaez, Unabia’s running mate. Former vice governor Joey Pelaez, Jigjag’s elder brother and Uy’s running mate, came in second.
In Gingoog, one of Misamis Oriental’s two component cities, former mayor Stella Marie Guingona lost to incumbent Mayor Erick Cañoza. She got 25,241 votes, around half of Cañoza’s 51,236 votes. (H. Marcos C. Mordeno / MindaNews)