DAVAO CITY, Phiippines – Three political families – Nograles, Garcia and Al-ag – have formed a coalition to challenge the control of the Duterte family in Davao City politics.
This is what Councilor Bernard Al-ag confirmed to media after he filed his candidacy as vice mayor as an independent candidate on October 8, on the final day of the filing of candidacies at the Comelec office in Magsaysay Avenue.
Karlo Nograles, former Davao City first district councilor, is running for mayor as an independent candidate. He resigned the night before from his chairmanship of the Civil Service Commission.
Nograles said he is running as city mayor to offer Davao City a “better choice” in leadership.
Karlo and Bernard will square off with the father-son tandem of Rodrigo and Baste Duterte. The Dutertes filed their candidacies on October 7.
In the first district congressional race, PBA Partylist Rep. Migs Nograles will challenge re-electionist Paolo ‘Polong’ Duterte. The two have started a word war since January over control of district congressional budgets.
The Garcia family, who has held on the second district congressional seat for decades, is fielding city Councilor Javier Garcia Campos for the position, and he will be challenged by Buhangin Barangay Chair Omar Duterte. Garcia, who is running under Marcos’ Partido Federal ng Pilipinas, has served as councilor for two terms or six years, compared to Omar who had just entered politics last year.
Bernard’s brother, Wilberto, will contest the third district seat against re-electionist Isidro Ungab, who is with Dutertes’ Hugpong sa Tawong Lungsod.
The Al-ags were removed from Hugpong last Monday. A statement from Hugpong said the Al-ags supported TIngog Sinaragan, a partylist linked to House Speaker Martin Romualdez. Hugpong said they are supporting a different party-list, Pwersa ng Pilipinong Pandaragat (PPP).
Wilberto Al-ag filed his candidacy under the party Lakas CMD headed by Romualdez.
Rodrigo Duterte has held the city mayor post in Davao for a total of 22 years in seven terms. His children have won various local positions since 2007, and his grandson Omar won as barangay chair in 2023.
But the other political families in Davao are now contesting their rule. The Nograleses held the first district congress seat from 2001 to 2019, giving way to Paolo Duterete in 2019.
The Garcia family are former allies of Duterte, as the late Congressman Manuel ‘Nonoy’ Garcia supported Duterte’s mayoral run in 1988 under the Lakas ng Dabaw with another political giant, former Mayor Elias Lopez.
The Al-ag family has held various positions in local politics. Their family has held barangay leadership in Poblacion, Toril for decades. Bernard Al-ag, an optometrist before joining politics, topped the 2016 council elections.
This coalition of other political families is a move to challenge Duterte’s hold on Davao City, said Atty. Carlos Zarate of Bayan Muna Party-list, in a podcast in Facts First.
“This has been what the old families of Davao have been waiting for a long time. Perhaps they have grown tired of having Dutertes in power for 36 years,” Zarate said. (davaotoday.com)
davao city, duterte, Nograles
