Laoag City—A Facebook poll conducted February 11-18, 2019 by radio
station DZJC shows entrepreneur Edward “Boyet” Quilala amassing 72 percent of
the votes in the mayoralty race for the Municipality of Currimao. He is running
against incumbent Mayor Gladys Go Cue who obtained a 28 percent vote share in
the survey participated in by over 1,200 netizens. An online poll conducted
earlier, January 28-February 4, 2019, by The
Ilocos Times also saw Mr. Quilala winning over Mrs. Cue, with the former
obtaining 58 percent of the almost 3,000 votes cast.
In an interview with The Ilocos Times,
Mr. Quilala expressed his gratitude for the very strong support he has been
getting from his townmates. Reading from the poll comments and through his
personal interactions with Currimaoeños, Mr. Quilala surmised that “Nabannogda metten” [They have grown
tired] and that they are crying for change.
However, while Mr. Quilala is appreciative of the snowballing support, he
says he is careful not to be too optimistic.
“I do not have the pretentions na
magaling kasi ako o sikat ako, hindi e, wala sa akin ‘yan; nagkataon lang na
nagsawa na siguro ang mga tao sa kanila at ako lang naglakas-loob na
magprisinta upang may mapagpilian ang mga tao.”
Mr. Quilala ran as councilor in 2004, but did not make the cut. He ranked
ninth, just a notch away from the winning circle.
“Pero iba ngayon, ramdam na ramdam mo
talaga ‘yung suporta ng mga tao,” he noted.
If elected, he says he will work very hard to lead the people in ushering
Currimao towards progress and inclusiveness.
“With its many gifts and resources, there is no reason Currimao could
stagnate,” he mused. Mr. Quilala's running mate is Kent Raguindin, an incumbent
Currimao councilor.
Boyet is the son of Cirilo Quilala, who served as Currimao mayor from 1965
to 1986. When local elections were held in 1988 after the transition to a new
constitution during the Aquino presidency, Wilbur, a son of the Go family, was
elected as mayor, with family members taking turns in succeeding him from
office for 31 years.
While he is not the official candidate of the Marcoses, Mr. Quilala, who is
running under the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino, says he will always be fully
supportive to the Marcoses, having known them since his childhood, with his
father being one of the staunchest supporters of former President Ferdinand E. Marcos.
DZJC Aksyon Radyo Laoag, one of the oldest and most popular radio stations
in Ilocos Norte, uses social media to gather public opinion on relevant social
issues. The Currimao survey forms part of a series of online polls the radio
station is conducting for the various local posts in the province and its
cities and municipalities. Previous DZJC online polls showed Matthew Joseph M. Manotoc
winning big (90%) in the Ilocos Norte gubernatorial race against Rodolfo C.
Fariñas, Michael M. Keon posting victory (58%) over incumbent mayor Chevylle
Fariñas in the mayoralty contest in Laoag City, Reynaldo “Ryan” Remigio surging
ahead (71%) in the first district congressional race over Christina “Ria”
Fariñas, and Ilocos Norte Vice Governor Eugenio Angelo M. Barba posting a 55.2%
win in the three-way contest for Ilocos Norte’s second congressional district.
Facebook polls are an informal way of getting the public pulse. While they
are different from scientifically conducted surveys conducted on the ground,
they provide insights on candidates’ online following and likeability.
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