Benguet Candidates Position and Party Affiliation - 2010 Elections

POSITION/NAME / PARTY
Congress

Thomas Chamos INDEPENDENT
Liso Agpas PDP -LABAN
Ronald Cosalan LIBERAL PARTY
Jack Dulnuan NACIONALISTA PARTY
Bedis Guznian INDEPENDENT


Governor
Raul Mencio Molintas NATIONALISTS PEOPLES COALITION (NPC)
Nestor Fongwan LAKAS-KAMPI CMD
Samuel Dangwa INDEPENDENT


Vice Governor
Cresencio Pacalso LAKAS-KAMPI-CMD
Wasing Sacla PDP-LABAN


Board Member

First District
Rimando Anguitay NACIONALISTA PARTY
Fernando Aritao PDP-LABAN
Philip Canuto INDEPENDENT
Albert Claro NACIONALISTA PARTY
Alfonso Fianza LAKAS-KAMPI CMD
Francisco Golingab LIBERAL PARTY
Ernesto Matuday LIBERAL PARTY
Juan Nazarro Jr. LAKAS-KAMPI CMD
Romulo Polon NACIONALISTA PARTY
Benjamin Saguid LAKAS-KAMPI CMD
Johnny Waguis LAKAS-KAMPI CMD


Board Member

Second District
Jose Andiso NACIONALISTA PARTY
Concepcion Balao NATIONALISTS PEOPLES COALITION (NPC)
John Botiwey PDP-LABAN
Loreto Buya-an LAKAS-KAMPI CMD
Apolinario Camsol LAKAS-KAMPI CMD
Nardo Cayat LAKAS-KAMPI CMD
Joseph Cosente NATIONALISTS PEOPLES COALITION (NPC)
Nelson Dangwa INDEPENDENT
Rogelio Leon LAKAS-KAMPI CMD
Albert Martinez INDEPENDENT
Lolito Sarac LAKAS-KAMPI CMD

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LIST OF BENGUET CANDIDATES FOR 2010 ELECTIONS

Comelec issues list of candidates for Benguet

by S.C. Aro

La Trinidad, Benguet (5 December) -- The Commission on Elections issued the list of candidates for the congressional and provincial posts for the province.

There are six candidates vying for the lone congressional seat. Comebacking Ronald Cosalan under the Liberal Party,Board Member Liso Agpas under PDP Laban, Jack Dulnuan under the Nacionalista Party, La Trinidad Councilor Thomas Chamos, an independent candidate, and a perennial candidate Bedis Guznian as independent.

There are three tested politicians vying for the gubernatorial post - Last term as congressman, Samuel Dangwa (Independent), incumbent Governor Nestor Fongwan (LAKAS-KAMPI-CMD), and comebacking former Governor Raul Molintas (Nationalist Peoples Coalition).

It is a two-way fight for the vice-gubernatorial post between incumbent Vice Governor Crescencio Pacalso (LAKAS-KAMPI-CMD) and Wasing Sacla (PDP Laban).

Contenders for the Provincial Board for the first district are as follows: Rimando Anguitay (Nacionalista Party); Fernando Aritao (PDP Laban), Philip Canuto (Independent); Albert Claro (Nacionalista Party); Alfonso Fianza (LAKAS-KAMPI-CMD); Francisco Golingab (Liberal Party); Ernesto Matuday (Liberal Party); Juan Nazarro Jr. (LAKAS-KAMPI-CMD); Romulo Polon (Nacionalista Party); Benjamin Saguid (LAKAS-KAMPI-CMD); and Johnny Waguis (LAKAS-KAMPI-CMD).

Vying for the Provincial Board for the second district are : Jose Andiso (Nacionalista Party); Concepcion Balao (Nationalist Peoples Coalition); John Botiwey (Partido Demokratiko Pilipino Lakas ng Bayan); Loreto Buya-an (LAKAS-KAMPI-CMD); Apolinario Camsol (LAKAS-KAMPI-CMD); Nardo Cayat (LAKAS-KAMPI-CMD); Joseph Cosente (Nationalist Peoples Coalition); Nelson Dangwa (Independent); Rogelio Leon (LAKAS-KAMPI-CMD); Albert Martinez (Independent); Jaime Paul Panganiban (Independent); Samson Paran (Independent); Catherine Poole (Independent); Florence Tingbaoen (LAKAS-KAMPI-CMD); and Lolito Sarac (LAKAS-KAMPI-CMD).

COMELEC listed a total of 193,991 registered voters who will determine the fate of the candidates in the elections next year. (PIA-Benguet)

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SMILE! THE GREATEST BENGUET POLITICAL TRILOGY BATTLE IS NEAR!

CATEGORY: BLOG: BENGUET POLITICS

by: humarri, www.watwatworld.com

With the upcoming 2010 elections, the supporters of the three candidates for governor in Benguet are already making noises as to who is the better choice. The trilogy battle is between incumbent Governor Nestor Fongwan, Congressman Samuel Dangwa and former Governor Raul Molintas. Benguet politics is known as traditional and elderly based because the Kankanaeys and the Ibalois choose their leaders according to their ethnic affiliation. However, this practice is slowly changing because first, the elders are also slowly fading away and second, the freedom of expression and technology among the younger voters is affecting the ethnic affiliation of voting for a candidate.

Today, the fate of a Benguet politician is not entirely in the hands of the elders although the respect for their
choices remains. I am excited to see how these three “heavygats” battle each other out since each one of them is already considered by their supporters as governor. Among the three, it seems incumbent Gov. Nestor Fongwan leads the pack because of his recent media exposure during typhoon pepeng and ondoy where he was branded again as the action man of Benguet.

As for Congressman Samuel Dangwa, unless he exposes himself and his achievements to the public as a legislator, he will be known as Halsema developer. Former Gov. Raul Molintas has yet to be beaten when running as a governor.Sad thing though is that many of the voters are not aware of their achievements, projects, programs, policies and plans. All we know is that they are “heavygats” and we have to choose one of them. As the world of technology advances just like their age, they should also fit in and use their millions to float whatever their plans are for the Province of Benguet especially for the new generation of voters who are tech savvy and information hungry.

Before, politicians butcher pigs and chickens to please the vote of the elders and their children. Today, politicians will still have to butcher pigs and chicken for the elders and the crowd and they will also have to
please the new generation of voters who are educated, thinking, and politically aware with the information they need to hear. Simply said, it is not the elders or ethnic affiliation who will determine the winning vote in today’s generation.

In my opinion, if there is a someone who is younger, outspoken and youthful, he or she will win as Governor by the new generation of voters following the Trillanes and Escudero style.
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Benguet at a glance...

Benguet is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Its capital is La Trinidad and borders, clockwise from the south, Pangasinan, La Union, Ilocos Sur, Mountain Province, Ifugao, and Nueva Vizcaya.

Baguio City, a popular tourist destination in the country, is located in the interior of the province, however, the city is independent of the province.

Based on the May 2000 census, Benguet has a total population of 330,129, which makes it the most populous province in the region. This figure is up by 16,296 from 313,833 persons recorded in the 1995 census, giving an annual growth rate of 1.09% during the 5-year period—much, much lower than the national average of 2.43%. If this growth rate were maintained, Benguet would double its population in approximately 64 years.

The province registered at 63,123 households, an increase of 4,588 households over the 1990 figure. This gave an average household size of 5.2 persons, a little higher than the national average of 4.99.

Benguet is the homeland of several tribes, collectively referred to as the Igorot. Two of them, the Ibaloi in the southeast and the Kankana-ey in the northwest, are the dominant tribes of Benguet. In the 2000 census, 43% of the household population were Kankana-ey. About 29.2% were Ibaloi and 13.4% were Ilocano. Other ethnic groups included Ikalahan (3.7%) and Tagalog (2.4%).

Most of the tribes in Benguet have their own languages. The Ibaloi tribe speak Ibaloy, which is similar to Pangasinan. The Kankana-ey tribe speak have their own language, which is related to the Bontoc language. Many inhabitants also speak Ilokano, Tagalog, and English for trade and commerce.

Agriculture, mining, and tourism are the major industries in Benguet. Because of its temperate climate and high altitude, Benguet is an ideal place for producing vegetables. Benguet is often called the Salad Bowl of the Philippines. During February 2007, Benguet suffered crop damage due to freezing temperatures in the area, reaching as low as 5 Celsius and even lower in some areas, and important crops like cabbages were damaged. Major crops include potatoes, Baguio beans, peas, strawberries, cabbage, lettuce, and carrots. Other agricultural-related activities are monggo processing, fruit preservation, peanut brittle manufacturing, broom making, basket weaving, and flower growing. Apisang (scientific name: Pittosporum resiniferum), a plant endemic to the Philippines, is also being grown in Kapangan and Kibungan towns as a potential aletrnative source of fuel and energy, rivaling the overhyped jatropha biofuel plant.

Mining is another major industry of Benguet, which is one of the country's leading gold producers. Other mineral deposits are silver, copper, pyrite, and limestone. Silversmithing is a large industry in Benguet, and many entrepreneurs sell silver works at lower prices in Baguio City, compared to Manila. In 2006 alone revenues from mining reached a stunning four billion pesos, and yet this figure comes from just two-Lepanto Consolidated Mining Corporation and Philex Mines- of the many mining firms operating in the province. Nevertheless, the province's mining vigor has never translated into better quality of life of the Benguet people, simply because a bulk of the mining firm's taxes are not paid directly to the province. The two mining corporations, like many others around the country, have principal offices in the City of Makati, a set-up that makes Makati the prime mining tax beneficiary.

The presence of Baguio City in Benguet draws a large number of tourists from the lowlands. Often, people who go to Baguio also explore the province, especially the strawberry and vegetable plantations in La Trinidad.

Political

Benguet is subdivided into 13 municipalities and surrounds Baguio City. Baguio City used to be part of the province but became independent when the city's charter was enacted in 1909. However, for statistical convenience, Baguio City is informally considered a part of Benguet, especially in census data or when the city is chosen as a location for Benguet provincial offices for convenience and practicality.

Municipalities
Atok
Bakun
Bokod
Buguias
Itogon
Kabayan
Kapangan
Kibungan
La Trinidad
Mankayan
Sablan
Tuba
Tublay

Early History.

The mountainous area now covered by Benguet is home to several native tribes which are collectively known as the Igorot. Two of these, the Ibaloi and the Kankana-ey, are dominant tribes of the area. Many of these tribes are believed by Filipino anthropologists to be of Malay descent. Before the arrival of the Spanish colonizers these tribes had a flourishing trade with the lowlanders such as the Ilocanos and the Pangasinenses.

Spanish Period. When the Spanish arrived, they attempted to colonize the highlands, having heard of the rich gold mines in the mountains. In 1572, Juan de Salcedo led a small expedition into southern Benguet, but the natives forced them to retreat. The first major expedition into the mountains occurred in 1620, when Spanish explorers went into the La Trinidad Valley and briefly controlled some Igorot gold mines, which were later abandoned after a few years.

In the 1800s, the Spanish colonizers made more serious attempts at conquering the highlands. The first expeditions were done under the leadership of Col. Guillermo Galvey and it succeeded in establishing presence in the La Trinidad Valley, which he named after his wife.

This area later became a district of the new province of La Union in 1846. Eight years later, in 1854, Benguet became a separate comandancia politico-militar. Parts of the present province were established as component territories of other comandancias such as Lepanto, and Amburayan.

American Period. When the Americans took control of the Philippines, they established local civil governments in many parts of the country. In Benguet, the civil government was established on Nevember 23, 1900 by virtue of Act No. 49. H.P. Whitmarsh, a Canadian journalist, was appointed as the first governor of Benguet.

The Americans then established the Mountain Province on August 18, 1908, with the enactment of Act No. 1876. Benguet, along with Amburayan, Apayao, Bontoc, Ifugao, Kalinga, and Lepanto, became sub-provinces of this new province. Later on, Baguio became a chartered city in 1909. Then in 1920, Benguet absorbed the sub-provinces of Amburayan and Lepanto.

In the 1930s, mining companies were started to mine the gold deposits in the area. This brought it jobs and many lowlanders migrated to Benguet, especially in towns surrounding the mines, such as Itogon.

World War II. During World War II, Igorot guerrillas and the combined Filipino and American forces fought battles with Japanese soldiers during the final days of the war in 1945.

Post-war Era. On June 18, 1966, The huge Mountain Province was split into four provinces with the enactment of Republic Act No. 4695. The four provinces were Benguet, Mountain Province, Kalinga-Apayao and Ifugao. Benguet became one of the provinces of the Ilocos Region.

On July 15, 1987, the Cordillera Administrative Region was established and Benguet was made one of its provinces.

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