Daughter replaces deceased father as Cagayan rep

The daughter of the late Rep. Florencio Vargas officially took over his father’s post after she was sworn in on Wednesday as the newest member of the House of Representatives representing the second district of Cagayan. Rep. Baby Aline Vargas-Alfonso, congressional bet of the minority Lakas-Kampi-CMD, defeated Liberal Party’s Edgar Lara during special elections in the province last Friday. The second district congressional seat was declared vacant when the elder Vargas died on July 22 last year due to a complicated illness. The special polls in Cagayan last Friday was marred by low turnout of voters due to the tsunami alert in the province’s coastal towns, triggered by the 8.9-magnitude quake in Japan on the same day. Alfonso’s inclusion in the House rolls raises the number of representatives to 284—the biggest in the lower chamber’s history. - Andreo Calonzo/KBK, GMA News