Gwendolyn Garcia (center) raises the hands of 5th district representative winners Andrei “Red” Duterte (left) and Vincent Franco Frasco at the Capitol. Garcia is waiting to be proclaimed while Duterte has been elected as the district’s board member while Frasco is the fifth district’s elected representative.| Gresheen Gift Libby
CEBU CITY, Philippines — For the first time in 70 years, Cebu’s fifth district will be represented by a “new blood” in Congress.
Vincent Franco “Duke” Frasco is the new representative-elect of Cebu’s fifth district which is composed of the city of Danao and towns of Borbon, Carmen, Catmon, Compostela, Liloan, Pilar, Poro, San Francisco, Sogod and Tudela.
This is the first time that the fifth district towns’ representative in Congress does not come from the notable clan of the Duranos of Danao City.
Frasco was officially proclaimed as district representative by the Provincial Board of Canvassers (PBOC). at past 5 p.m. on Tuesday, May 14. With him was his wife, Liloan’s reelected Mayor Christina Garcia-Frasco and their three young children.
Franco, 38, upset incumbent fifth district Representative Ramon “Red” Durano VI by a margin of around 36,000 votes.
The Duranos have represented the towns comprising the fifth district at least since 1949 even back when the same set of towns were still considered as Cebu’s first district.
The late Ramon Mercado Durano, the patriarch of the family, was the representative of the district during the Second Congress in 1949 until the end of the Seventh Congress in 1972.
When the Eighth Congress began in 1987, the district was represented by Ramon “Nito” Durano III, now incumbent mayor of Danao City.
Read more: Gwen Garcia awaits proclamation as Cebu gov
In an interview shortly after his proclamation, Franco said he owed the success to the team who helped him in his campaign. He also admitted that running under the slate of his mother-in-law, Governor-elect Gwendolyn Garcia, helped his bid for the congressional seat.
“Medyo lisod lisod gyud. Sa tinud-anay, uphill climb gyud siya but I think as long as makaistorya ko nila, makaadto kos mga tawo, makaistorya ko nila sa unsa akong mabuhat ug akong mga plano, hinay-hinay, nakapasabot ta and hinay hinay, murag niduol sad sila and nakita sad sila sa paglaum sa atong kinto distrito,” Frasco said as he recounted his campaign for the May 13 polls.
(It was a difficult fight. Honestly, I’d say that winning the seat was an uphill climb but I think as long as I’ve reached out to the people and explained to them my plans, I was able to slowly gained their trust and made them see hope for the fifth district.)
Vincent Franco Frasco is officially proclaimed as the elected representative of the House at the Capitol on May 14. | Gresheen Gift Libby
Frasco said that he will be focusing on realizing his campaign promises for the district especially on the areas of education and health.
“I will be focusing on education, scholarships, medical assistance, and of course, trabaho sa among mag tawo. And muduol gyud ko sa mga tawo, manghimamat ko nila, panghatag sad sa unay mga problema na masulbad,” said Frasco.
(I will be focusing on education, scholarships, medical assistance, and of course, on proving job opportunities to our constituents. I also commit to reach out to the people, meet them often enough so they can personally tell me their problems and for me to give them the solutions.)/dbs