In a major electoral upset, Christopher Gonzales, son-in-law of House Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan, has unseated incumbent Rep. Maria Fe Abunda in the race for Eastern Samar’s lone congressional seat.
Gonzales, the former Eastern Samar vice governor and mayor of Guiuan, clinched victory with a commanding lead of 177,413 votes over Abunda’s 106,781.
Abunda, sister of renowned television host Boy Abunda, was seeking a third and final term.
Gonzales, who is married to Libanan’s daughter, Eloisa, enjoyed widespread local support, including the backing of 19 out of Eastern Samar’s 22 incumbent mayors who signed a public manifesto endorsing his candidacy.
Meanwhile, Libanan is poised to begin his second term as the representative of the 4Ps party-list after the group secured nearly 1.5 million votes in Monday’s midterm elections.
“This vote of confidence from the Filipino people is a clear affirmation of the work we have done – and a powerful motivation for us to work even harder to improve lives,” Libanan said in a statement.
The 4Ps party-list garnered the fourth-highest number of votes nationwide, trailing only behind Akbayan, Duterte Youth, and Tingog.
The group’s 1.5 million votes marked a significant increase of 650,000 votes from its 2022 tally.