Mangudadatu wins gubernatorial race in Maguindanao

Half a year after deciding to challenge the powerful Ampatuan clan — a move that cost the lives of his wife and 56 other people — outgoing Buluan vice mayor Esmael "Toto" Mangudadatu's efforts have finally paid off. Mangudadatu — who trooped to the provincial capitol in Shariff Aguak in a convoy of armored vehicles, a tank, and a helicopter — was proclaimed as the new Maguindanao governor around 6 p.m. of Friday after besting two other rivals for the post. He was declared the winner after so far receiving 153,706 votes based on the provincial canvassers' partial count. The outgoing vice mayor beat his closest rival and known Ampatuan ally Datu Odin Sinsuat by 12,705 votes, according to a radio report. While provincial board canvassing showed Mangudadatu on top, latest data from GMA Network's partial unofficial count still showed the vice mayor behind Sinsuat with 90.09 percent of all transmitted election returns canvassed. As for the official tally of the Commission on Elections, it has so far canvassed more election returns with 96 percent of precincts nationwide successfully transmitting their results. The Comelec attributed to the computer servers the higher percentage of transmission results to the poll body than other entities doing the partial count. Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal earlier said "the [counting machines] might be able to send to the Comelec server but unable to send to [others] including the [Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting." [See: PCOS may not be transmitting to other servers, poll execs say] Mangudadatu's running mate Ismael Mastura, meanwhile, edged out multiple murder suspect and clan patriarch Andal Ampatuan Sr. in the vice gubernatorial derby, 173,276 to 142,783, a lead of 30,693. Mangudadatu said he was still undecided whether to hold office inside the capitol hall in Shariff Aguak since the town is a known bailiwick of the Ampatuans. He said he is considering using the governor's office in the neighboring province of Sultan Kudarat, the governor of which is his relative Suharto Mangudadatu. Early proclamation Three hours earlier, provincial board canvassers were thinking twice about proclaiming Mangudadatu, saying a Comelec resolution bars them from declaring a winner until canvassing has been complete, GMA News' Jun Veneracion said in a separate report. After getting permission from the Comelec office in Manila about early proclamations, the provincial board of canvassers declared Mangudadatu and Mastura as winners in the local races in Maguindanao. Before he arrived at the capitol hall, a helicopter from Mangudadatu's camp was seen hovering the area, apparently surveying the place for any security threats. The outgoing vice mayor, whose wife and relatives were killed in the November 23 massacre, alleged that there was a plan to prevent him and his camp from reaching the capitol hall. He said his detractors were planning on planting a bomb on a bridge that they were supposed to pass through. On his way to the capitol hall, Mangudadatu said he shed tears when his convoy passed by Salman village in Ampatuan town, where his wife, relatives, and more than 30 journalists were killed by supposed armed supporters of the Ampatuans. Multiple murder charges had already been lodged against Andal Sr. and five other Ampatuan clan members and more than 190 members of civilian volunteer organizations believed to be under the control of the Ampatuans. - RJAB Jr., GMANews.TV