GenSan Mayor Lorelie Pacquiao wins second term

General Santos City Mayor Lorelie Pacquiao (center) wins her second term. She was proclaimed Tuesday, 13 May 2025, by the City Board of Canvassers. Photo by Mayor Pacquiao’s office

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 13 May) – Incumbent City Mayor Lorelie Pacquiao won her bid for a second term following a heated electoral race that practically divided the city’s political scene.

The City Board of Canvassers (CBOC) proclaimed Pacquiao as the elected mayor but her party, the People’s Champ Movement (PCM), lost the congressional and vice mayoral races. It, however, retained dominance of the city council after winning seven of the 12 seats.

She is the sister-in-law of boxing legend Manny Pacquiao.

Lawyer Sittie Sharmaine Garangan, the city election officer and CBOC chair, led the proclamation of the winning candidates after reconvening the board at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, May 13.

The CBOC initially convened the board at 3:30 a.m. but decided to reconvene later for the proclamation of winners to allow further verification of the voting data.

The canvass report released by the city election office showed a voting turnout of 76.81 percent, or a total of 282,996 ballots counted out of 368,454 registered voters.

Pacquiao garnered a total of 147,992 votes for a convincing win against closest rival, former city mayor and incumbent Vice Mayor Rosalita Nuñez of the PDP Laban, who mustered 117,844 votes.

Ana Paglangan, a leader of land claimants here, only received 1,749 votes, while fellow independents Juhir Esmail and Bai Dani got 1,429 and 1,039 votes, respectively.

Pacquiao vowed to reciprocate the fresh mandate from the people with “genuine service” and better initiatives.   

“More (good programs). (I’m) more excited now,” she told reporters.

Proclaimed as elected vice mayor was third-term Councilor Lawyer Jose Edmar Yumang (RCR Initiatives) who got 139,050 votes, defeating Councilor Jose Orlando Acharon of PCM who received 115,140 votes.

Also proclaimed were city council bets Jonathan Blando (PDP Laban), Cesar Bañas (PDP Laban), Bing Dinopol (PDP Laban), Beth Bagonoc (PCM), Ralph Ronald Yumang (PDP Laban), Franklin Gacal Jr. (PCM), Michael Pacquiao (PCM), Richard Atendido (PCM), Virginia Llido (PCM), Ramon Milleza (PDP Laban), Dominador Lagare III (PCM), and Joey Dinopol (PCM).

In the race for the city’s lone congressional seat, former representative Shirlyn Bañas-Nograles (PDP Laban) was proclaimed winner with 163,511 votes over incumbent Loreto Acharon (NPC-PCM), who got 92,771 votes. Independent bet Sterling Sañado received 4,337 votes.

Nograles, a former city councilor and vice mayor, was elected representative in 2019 of the city’s then newly created lone congressional district but lost her bid for city mayor against Lorelie Pacquiao in the 2022 elections.

Acharon, also a former vice mayor, is currently on his first term as representative of the city’s lone district. He earlier voted for the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte and was elected as among the House prosecutors for the impeachment trial.(Allen V. Estabillo / MindaNews)