PALAWAN, Philippines —The battle for the gubernatorial seat of this province has narrowed down between the scion of the province’s most prominent political family and a businessman who used to hold the biggest logging concessions in the province.

On Monday, Palaweños will choose who between congressman Abraham Kahlil Mitra, the son of former House Speaker Ramon Mitra, and Jose Alvarez, brother of 1st district Rep. Antonio Alvarez, will replace third-term Governor Joel Reyes.

Five aspirants want to become governor, but Mitra and Alvarez are considered as frontrunners.
This year’s gubernatorial race has become more interesting since this will be the first time that the province’s capital, Puerto Princesa City, will be no longer be voting for the provincial positions because of its conversion into a highly-urbanized city in 2007. A highly-urbanized city is virtually independent of the provincial government.

Local observers said that the exclusion of Puerto Princesa City may work against Mitra because the city has been his bailiwick. Mitra himself admitted that the conversion of Puerto Princesa may hurt his chances of winning.

“Definitely. Puerto Princesa is 20% of the votes of the entire province. In the past I have always won via landslide in Puerto Princesa City ,” the congressman said in an e-mail interview with abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak.

Residency and roots

Mitra’s greatest challenge, however, is the disqualification case filed against him. On February 10, the first division of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) disqualified him for failing to prove that he met the residency requirement for local officials after he transferred his residence from Puerto Princesa City to Aborlan, a municipality in the 2nd district. The Comelec en banc, voting 4-2-1, upheld its early decision. (Read, “Mitra disqualified from Palawan gov race.”)

The Supreme Court, however, issued a status quo order on Friday and allowed him to pursue his candidacy.

A political analyst in the province who asked not to be named, however, said the disqualification case may work in Mitra’s favor because it may bring sympathy votes.

While Mitra’s disqualification case poses a threat to his candidacy, Alvarez, must overcome the perception of some voters that he is not a Palaweño.

Abs-cbNews.com/Newsbreak interviews with some Palaweños revealed that they were reluctant in supporting Alvarez because they see him as an outsider who returns to Palawan because he has business interests in the province.

The former timber tycoon, however, dismissed the issue and said that he hails from the Magbanua clan, which traces its roots in Pawa, Cuyo. He also cited that other local politicians in the province like Mitra, Puerto Princesa City Mayor Edward Hagedorn, and former governor Salvador Socrates are not really originally from Palawan.

“Socrates was born in Negros , but was well-loved by Palaweños, having served them for over 20 years,” Alvarez said. “What is a Palaweño? Some 80% of the population are dayo or not born in Palawan .”
Another challenge for Alvarez is shaking off his image as the businessman who was involved in logging in Palawan during the 1980s.

Employment, corruption

The 2 candidates gave different answers when asked to identify the biggest problem their province is facing.

Mitra said employment is the biggest problem that needs to be addressed in Palawan : “A vast majority of our workforce are in the agricultural sector, but this sector always had difficulties in accessing markets considering distance from the big cities.”

The congressman said the province can depend on its tourism sector to solve lack of employment opportunities in Palawan .

“The development of Palawan as the prime tourist destination would open employment opportunities to our constituents,” he said, adding that the tourism sector must strike a balance with environmental conservation efforts.

For Alvarez, the province’s biggest problem is corruption and inefficient use of people’s resources. He said that he finds it ironic that while there have been increases in the income of the province, the lives of Palaweños have barely improved.

“It is shocking to discover that many far-flung barangays still lack clean drinking water and barely have access to health services,” Alvarez said.

“There is little support for agriculture, when Palawan can easily become the rice basket of the country,” he added.

Similarities

The 2 candidates, however, have similar stand on some local and environmental issues.
Both of them have expressed openness to settle the pending issue on the legal battle between the province and the national government on the sharing of revenues from the Malampaya natural gas project. The case has reached the Supreme Court.

Palawan and the national government have been fighting over the multi-billion revenues from Malampaya since its commercial operation started in 2001. Palawan claims 40% of the revenues of the project, citing provisions from the Local Government Code. The national government, meanwhile, contends that the project is not within the province’s territorial jurisdiction and, therefore, Palawan is not entitled to any share.
Pending the resolution of the case, the 2 parties entered into an interim agreement in 2005 that allowed the release of 50% of the disputed 40% share to the provincial government and the 2 congressional districts. The interim agreement will end on June 30, 2010.

“My administration shall be open to any just settlement with the national government but always with the interest and welfare of Palawan and Palaweños in mind,” Alvarez said.

Mitra, for his part, said: “I am confident that the letter and spirit of Constitution will be upheld and that is in favor of Palawan . Although if there will be a chance to amicably settle the issue, we will be open to it.”
Both said they would refuse new mining applications in the province, pursue the logging ban, vow to improve water services and tap renewable energy resources to address the power crisis.

Despite their stand on environmental issues, Grizelda Mayo-Anda of the Environmental Legal Assistance Center , however, told Newsbreak that Mitra and Alvarez still do not have a clear plan for the environment.
“There are no candidates who have clear environmental platform...not even at the gubernatorial level,” said Anda.

Managers

The 2 candidates claimed that they would be bringing new management styles once they take over the reins of the capitol.

Mitra, however, said that he has better experience in governance and public service than Alvarez because the latter’s experience is in business.

“I am younger and more energetic and dynamic. I consult, I learn, and I listen to the people. And I have a direct relationship with the people, unlike Don Pepito, who relies on his so-called ‘consultants’ who obviously feed him with either wrong information or self-interest suggestions,” Mitra said.

Alvarez, meanwhile, said his opponent has yet to show a clear platform of governance: “I have yet to hear or read any program of government from Rep. Mitra other than to malign my person, something he and his family never did before I decided to apply as servant of the people.” —with a report from Riziel Cabreros (abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak)