WASHINGTON, Aklan — Atty. Shimonette Peralta Francisco, who served as the mayor of New Washington from 2016 to 2022, has announced her candidacy for the 2025 mayoral election.
Francisco made this announcement during an interview on July 6, expressing her desire to serve the people of New Washington once again. She will be running against the incumbent mayor, Jessica Regenio Panambo.
Francisco emphasized her commitment to the municipality by saying, “Taw-an natun it uman it tsansa atung sarili nga mapili it mga pumueuyo nga mag-serbisyo it uman sa banwa it New Washington. Magabalik kita 100 percent para pag-pailihir bilang alkalde.” She lost her re-election bid in 2022 to Panambo, who secured 14,218 votes compared to Francisco's 13,941 votes.
Francisco, the daughter of the late New Washington mayor Edmund Peralta, faces a significant challenge as Panambo has the support of Tibyog Akean, a powerful local political group.
New Washington, a third-class municipality with a population of 48,000, is divided into 16 barangays, including Poblacion, Cawayan, and Dumaguit.
The upcoming election is expected to be a closely contested race between the two experienced politicians.
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