CLAIMING to be an “underdog,” congressional bet Raineir Joaquin ‘Kikang’ Uy of the first district of Cagayan de Oro did not discount the possibility that massive vote-buying will rock the City of Golden Friendship anew in the coming May 2025 elections.
The former city vice mayor Uy, son of incumbent city mayor Rolando ‘Klarex’ Uy, is the present village chair of Carmen, one of the city’s biggest barangays, with close to 80,000 voting people according to the 2020 Census.
But even by the undisputed reign of his family for a long time in the votes-rich Carmen, which could make or break the political aspiration of any candidate in Cagayan de Oro, the younger Uy told Gold Star Daily last Sunday night, October 20, that he considered himself as the underdog in his rematch with incumbent Rep. Lordan Suan.
“He is the incumbent congressman and has the resources and political machinery. Of course, we could not discount vote-buying as can be gleaned from the last election naa na gyod kana bisan asa nga dapit sa Pilipinas. Dehado man kita busa maningkamot lang gyod,” said Uy, who also goes by the moniker ‘Kapkik’.
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The 42-year-old Uy’s biggest consolation, however, in his second try for the Congress seat is their so-called territorial growth.
Among the city’s 80 barangays, the Uys claimed to have gained the nods and the blessings of 64 chairs from only 30-plus barangay head supporters the last time out, after forming the One Kagay-an party with 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez.
The Uys' political dynastic strategy has been widely known for their family-oriented ‘Kasalan ng Bayan,’ which city administrator Roy Hilario Raagas believed would continue if they remained in power.
“Siyempre, padayon lang gihapon ang kasalan para lig-on ang pamilya ug ang atong kumonidad,” Raagas said.
So from his father’s trademark ‘Kasalan,’ Kikang Uy tries to make do with every little thing if only to offset whatever advantage Suan has with the Padayon Pilipino which surprisingly picked its former political rival in erstwhile city mayor Oscar Moreno as its standard bearer to challenge Klarex for the city’s highest post.
And attending last Sunday night’s 67th birthday party of Barangay Bonbon chair Lelit Baal-Molina’s better half, Artemio is one of them.
“Dili lang panahon sa kampanya apan sa okasyon nga sama niini anaa gihapon ang ilang presensya uban kanato. Busa kon unsay suporta nga inyong gihatag kanako, ihatag pud nato kang Kikang,” the barangay chair told their visitors from the coastal Barangay Bonbon in a celebration held at a popular restaurant near the city's Cogon market.
The younger Uy, who lost the congressional race to fellow neophyte Lordan Suan by over 12,000 votes, then defeated Lordan’s father Agapito ‘Jun’ Suan for the chairmanship of Barangay Carmen via lopsided manner, 29,000 to 6,000, in an election that went viral for its high-price vote-buying.
Nestor Banuag of the National Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) told reporters in a press conference last year that some voters in one area of Barangay Carmen allegedly received P6,000 each from one of the warring political groups.
“Dili lang six naa gyoy nakadawat og P8k sa Carmen maong na-ilado gyod sa vote-buying tibook nasod,” shared one chieftain from the city’s numbered barangay, who requested anonymity.
Also, Renato Magbutay, Comelec-Northern Mindanao director, confirmed that the poll body noticed an unusual increase in the number of people who applied as Carmen voters.
Lordan Suan himself, in a separate interview, told the local press that they counted more than 15,000 individuals who wanted to be registered as new voters in Carmen.
