Bacolod City Rep. Evelio Leonardia is reclaiming City Hall after he won as mayor in the May 9 election over incumbent Monico Puentevella in an unprecedented fashion.
With a record 120,231 votes or a lead of 22,238, Leonardia ended “The Final Battle” between him and Puentevella, with whom he has a long-running political contest that goes all the way back to 1988.
It was the biggest landslide victory in the history of Bacolod and Leonardia is going back to City Hall for an unprecedented 5th term.
As neophyte politicians, Leonardia and Puentevella started their political careers in 1988 when they both ran for the city council. Leonardia topped that election; Puentevella came in second. Three years later, they both ran for vice mayor; Leonardia won.
Their rivalry went on mainly over the media, as both ran for different posts after that: Puentevella went for Congress while Leonardia took City Hall. They met again in 2010, when Puentevella aimed for the mayorship after his congressional stint. Leonardia won that one, too.
In 2013, with Leonardia’s term as mayor ending, Puentevella ran for mayor and won. Leonardia went on to Congress. Last year, in response to public clamor, Leonardia decided to give up his congressional seat and run for mayor.
It was also a landslide win for Leonardia’s party, the Nationalist People’s Coalition-Grupo Progreso by clinching the positions for congressman, vice mayor, and eight of the 12 city council seats. Puentevella’s Pamilya Magbinuligay Kita Kapamilya won only four slots of the Sangguniang Panlungsod. Vice Mayor Greg Gasataya won as congressman, El Cid Familiaran won as vice mayor.