Market vendor wins over doctor in Samar town’s mayoral race
A VEGETABLE vendor at a public market won against a doctor in the mayoral elections in Dolores, Eastern Samar.
Rodrigo Rivera got 11,508 votes as against Dr. Zaldy Carpeso who garnered 10,946 votes or a difference of only 562 votes.
The 62-year-old Rivera ran as an independent candidate while Dr. Carpeso under the PDP-Laban ticket.
Carpeso is the brother of the incumbent mayor, Shonny Niño, who was unopposed in his vice mayoral bid.
Rivera, who finished only second year high school due to poverty, served for nine years as barangay captain of Gap-ang before he started selling vegetables at the public market.
He said it wasn’t easy for him to campaign in the 46 barangays of Dolores town.
According to him, there were times they were given food by friends and villagers, where they wooed the voters.
“Nagpapasalamat ako sa Diyos at dininig niya ang aking panalangin. Ang panalong ito ay para sa aking mga kababayan dito sa Dolores, ang mabigyan sila mg serbisyong kanilang kinakailangan, mga serbisyo mula sa gobyerno na lahat ng klase ng tao ay makikinabang, mayaman man o mahirap, Rivera uttered in Waray.
Among his plans are to address the problems on streetlights, drainage, classrooms and hospitals.
Rivera also said he will focus on providing livelihood programs, and ensuring peace and order in Dolores, in coordination with the police and the military.
Dolores is a third class municipality, with 46 barangays and 30,124 registered voters. By Jane Eleda
