Neophyte Provincial Board (PB) Member Alexie Tutor made history during the recently concluded midterm elections as she was elected as the first female representative of the province’s third congressional district.
Tutor, who only had a single electoral victory before running for a seat in the Lower House, was proclaimed as representative-elect by the Bohol Provincial Board of Canvassers on May 14, becoming the second congresswoman to represent the province of Bohol next to Venice Borja-Agana who served the first district for three terms starting the late 80s.
Tutor won in the congressional race by large margins over seasoned politicians, former Carmen Mayor Che Toribio-delos Reyes and Vice Governor Dionisio Balite.
“In your eyes, I might be a neophyte, finding my way in this political arena, but this neophyte just made history on the 14th of May, 2019 in the Province of Bohol as the first lady congressman in the 3rd District, a pride and honor to all Candijaynons,” Tutor said in her privilege speech during a regular session of the Sangguninang Panlalawigan.
Tutor credited mayors and representatives from the business and tourism sectors who supported her candidacy, among others, for her victory.
The outgoing board member is the chair of the PB’s committee on tourism.
“Let me have this opportunity to portray my profound gratitude to all my leaders, supporters, both active and the silent ones, my mayors who delivered, prayer warriors, business, the tourism sector, multi-sectoral institutions, the youth, my team and family. This victory is not mine but it is ours,” said Tutor.
Tutor’s candidacy was endorsed by losing gubernatorial bet Leoncio Evasco, Jr. She however shared the endorsement with delos-Reyes and Balite who, like her, were part of Evasco’s slate.
Political pundits have opined that Evasco, who lost by a slim margin to Deputy Speaker Arthur Yap, would have won the gubernatorial race had he focused on his endorsement of Tutor, rather than the other two bets.
Based on the Commission on Elections final and official count, Tutor garnered 74,991 votes, 9,037 more than the 65,954 votes of her closest opponent Toribio.
Meanwhile, Balite and former judge Caloy Fernando got 42,877 and 41,958 votes, respectively.
Prior to her congressional candidacy, Tutor was an active supporter of the Church’s preemptive stand against the possible entry of casinos into the province.
Tutor, who was at the forefront of the anti-casino movement at the PB, said during the pre-election congressional candidates’ forum in April that Bohol should maintain its image as an “eco-tourism, eco-cultural” destination.
“When we say casino, daghan g’yud, naay ingon nako daghang kwarta daghan tanan-tanan. But again, the ill effects of casino are heavier than the advantages,” she said. (rt)