Almost everyone would agree that the May 12, 2025 midterm elections is one of the fastest and most peaceful polls Laguna province has seen in decades.
Of course, the biggest surprise is the victory of former 3rd District Representative Sol Aragones, who won the election for governor in a close fight with incumbent 2nd District Representative Ruth Mariano-Hernandez. (Hernandez’s running mate, JM Carait, was elected as vice-governor.)
But there are two main takeaways from this year’s polls, political analysts in Laguna province now say.
One, is that the political machinery and popularity of former President Rodrigo Duterte and his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, still hold sway among the voters.
Which makes the second takeaway sound a bit contradictory: as always, the local political situation is often very different from the national situation.
A big blow
It's clear that the biggest casualty of the "Duterte magic" is Santa Rosa City Representative Dan Fernandez.
Fernandez, who once again attempted to secure the governor's seat (he once ran for governor in 2004, but lost to former Governor Teresita "Ningning" Lazaro) placed third behind Aragones and Hernandez.
Some analysts believe Fernandez's role as one of the co-chairpersons of the House Quad Committee (commonly known as “QuadCom”) played a big factor in his defeat.
The House Quad Committee, to recall, had led investigations “in aid of legislation” in high-profile cases such as that of former Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo and her links to Chinese-led Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), as well as into the alleged extrajudicial killings committed during the Duterte administration. All these investigations were direct orders from House Speaker Martin Romualdez, who obviously used several House committees to hit hard on his political rivals, led by Vice President Sara Duterte and her father.
Given that the former President, now detained at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Netherlands, still commands the support of many Filipinos, the fact that Fernandez had played the role of one of Martin’s most vociferous attack dogs became a personal liability.
Fernandez's grandstanding in the House contributed also to the loss of his son, Laguna Provincial Board Member Danzel Fernandez, who was defeated by Santa Rosa City Councilor Roy Gonzales in the race to succeed the older Fernandez in the city's congressional seat.
Didn't work out
But the fact remains that local politics is always a whole different world from national politics, as evidenced in Calamba City.
If the "Duterte Youth" party-list, led by spouses Ronald and Marie Cardema, won big in the party-list elections, the couple themselves faced a very different result in the local polls in this city.
Ronald Cardema placed third in his bid to become a member of the Laguna provincial board, while his wife Marie placed 15th in the race to secure a seat in the city council.
Why didn't the "Duterte magic" work out for them?
Some observers believe that in the grand scheme of local politics, the Cardemas had placed well below the two main contenders for political power in the city: the Rizals and the Chipecos.
To recall, Mayor Roseller "Ross" Rizal scored an unexpected victory in 2022 when he single-handedly beat the Chipeco family that had ruled the city for decades.
Moreover, it's clear that the 2025 elections are also a plebiscite of sorts on the performance of the Mayor Rizal administration.
It's a plebiscite that his camp passed with flying colors when they once again thwarted the Chipecos' attempts for a comeback.
Local results
In the first and second districts of Laguna, it’s clear that the “status quo” has prevailed among local politicians.
In San Pedro City, while incumbent Mayor Art Mercado was able to keep his seat, the big surprise (though not really a surprise to some locals) is the victory of Councilor Nina Almoro in the vice-mayoralty race over Mercado’s running mate, incumbent Vice Mayor Ina Olivarez.
Incumbent 1st District (San Pedro City) Representative Ann Matibag was also able to retain her seat, after receiving over 111,000 votes in an uncontested race.
The incumbent “LABarkada” team in Biñan City also scored big, with Mayor-elect Gel Alonte, Vice Mayor-elect Dada Reyes, Representative-elect Arman Dimaguila, and 11 out of the 12 members of their Sangguniang Panglungsod slate winning in the May 12 polls.
The same was in the case in Santa Rosa City, where the Arcillas political clan further cemented their grip in local politics, and in Cabuyao City, where incumbent City Mayor Dennis “Denha” Hain won a second term as city executive.
New leaders
In San Pablo City, meanwhile, Najie Gapangada was able to wrest political power from the Amante clan after he defeated incumbent City Mayor Vic Amante in the mayoralty race.
Los Baños will also see a new executive after former Laguna Provincial Board Member Neil Andrew Nocon bested incumbent Mayor Anthony “Ton” Genuino and incumbent Vice Mayor Josephine Sumanguil in a four-way race.
In the provincial capital of Santa Cruz, Benjo Agarao, a member of the Agarao political clan, will become the new local executive after beating incumbent Mayor and former Representative Edgar “Egay” San Luis.
Former Laguna governor E. R. Ejercito also scored a political comeback after he was once again elected mayor of the resort town of Pagsanjan, defeating incumbent Mayor Cesar Areza.
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