No more crack in ‘Solid North’ as Marcos’ PFP captures Batanes

Ex-NBI official Ronald ‘Jun’ Aguto Jr. wins a close match with Medardo ‘Jun’ Abad Jr., a newcomer to Batanes politics and a former diplomat

BATANES, Philippines – Long seen as a stronghold of the Liberal Party (LP), Batanes enters a new era of leadership as Ronald “Jun” Aguto Jr. won the gubernatorial race under the banner of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP).

Aguto, a former National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) official, won with 3,947 votes, according to the certificate of canvass from the Provincial Board of Canvassers (PBOC). While his running mate Uyugan Mayor Jonathan Nanud Jr. won as well, they failed to carry Marilou Cayco with them as congresswoman of the province’s lone district.

Cayco is Batanes’ term-limited incumbent governor who once ran under LP, but shifted to PFP for the 2025 polls.

Aguto’s won a close match with Medardo “Jun” Abad Jr., a newcomer to Batanes politics running with the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC). Aguto only won by 209 votes against Abad’s 3,738.

While Abad lost, his ally reelectionist Batanes Representative Ciriaco Gato Jr. of the NPC handily won against Cayco, with 7,380 votes compared with Cayco’s 3,785.

Meanwhile, the LP’s gubernatorial bet Ignacio “Nanoy” Villa placed third with 2,018 votes.

Handling the votes of 84.13% of 13,655 registered voters who came out to vote, the PBOC was able to proclaim the winners late night on election day, May 12. Batanes has the smallest voting population among all provinces in the country.

Nail-biter

As partial and unofficial results were being transmitted to the Comelec’s transparency server, Abad found himself leading the race at times, with margins as close as only three votes.

In the end, Aguto took it home. 

According to data from NPC’s PBOC watcher, Abad captured Batanes’ biggest towns — provincial capital Basco, and Itbayat, the Philippines’ northernmost municipality. In previous races, having these towns in the bag were usually indicative of a victory, but Aguto was able to secure a lead in all of the smaller towns, especially in his hometown Ivana where he enjoyed a 410-vote lead.

Aguto, who branded himself as “Kuya Jun Aguto,” ran on a platform of health, opportunities and livelihood, peace and order, and education, which is the same advocacies he held when he ran and lost in 2022 against Gato for congressman.

The governor-elect also rose to popularity through online content creation about Batanes and cybersecurity tips from his 22-year career with the NBI. 

After serving several years as an agent, he rose to serve as chief of the NBI’s budget, its cybercrime division, and then its international operation division before retiring.

Newcomer rival

Abad conceded on the evening of Tuesday, May 13. He thanked Ivatans for warmly receiving him and his team in their homes and communities during the course of the campaign.

“It has been a privilege to offer oneself to lead our beloved province. I humbly accept your decision,” said Abad, congratulating Gato and Aguto.

In his campaign, Abad promised to end contractualization for job order workers, develop tourism and resilient housing, create college scholarship programs, assist small business owners, and increase benefits for senior citizens and persons with disabilities.

Abad, born in Basco, was a diplomat by profession. Before trying his hand at local Batanes politics, he spent three decades at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Asian Development Bank. 

He authored a 2011 book on the Philippines’ contribution to ASEAN, and was also well-versed in China’s long-standing aggression in the West Philippine Sea.

With Batanes literally caught in the middle between rising tensions in Taiwan and the West Philippine Sea, Abad had also mentioned in campaign speeches the need to take precedence in “being right over using might,” alluding to the arbitral ruling that the Philippines asserts in its claim over the West Philippine Sea.

Before his diplomatic career, he worked in Malacañang under the late former president Corazon Aquino. Then chief presidential staff officer in Malacañang, Abad worked towards the electrification of his home province by facilitating negotiations.

Abad is the first cousin once removed of former budget secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad, a loyal ally of the LP. While there were talks with the NPC to join political forces, these did not succeed. – Rappler.com