Leni Robredo widens lead in CamSur congressional race

(Updated 11:44 p.m.) Lawyer Leni Robredo, widow of the late Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo, is leading in the congressional race in the third district of Camarines Sur province, GMA News' partial unofficial results showed Monday.

Based on GMA News partial and unofficial results as of 11:08 p.m., Robredo was leading by a huge margin:

(Liberal Party) ROBREDO, LENI 80,007
(Nationalist People's Coalition)    VILLAFUERTE, NELLY  22,813
(Independent) FAUSTO, CHARINA 1,369
(Partido Demokratiko Pilipino - Lakas ng Bayan) ARCILLA, OSCAR JR. 353

The numbers, representing 41.75 percent of Camarines Sur's election returns (ERs), are subject to change. Only the official board of canvassers can officially declare a winning candidate.

In October last year,  Robredo finally agreed to run for congresswoman after prodding by the Liberal Party.

She ran against Nationalist People's Coalition's Nelly Villafuerte, wife of incumbent Rep. Luis Villafuerte Sr., who has served the province since 1978 and who is Jesse Robredo's uncle.

Villafuerte helped Jesse Robredo enter politics and win as mayor of Naga in 1988, but the two soon parted ways and became political rivals.

Villafuerte stronghold

The Villafuertes have held key local positions in Camarines Sur since the late 1970s.

Villafuerte Sr. is running against his grandson, 24-year-old Miguel ("Migz" or "LRay Jr."), the son of incumbent Gov. LRay Villafuerte.

The incumbent Camarines Sur governor and Villarfuerte Sr. have had a falling-out over proposals to partition the province into two.

The younger Villafuerte is leading the race for the gubernatorial seat, according to GMA News' partial unofficial results below:

(Nacionalista Party) VILLAFUERTE, LRAY JR-MIGZ – 116,039
(NPC) VILLAFUERTE, LUIS – 90,810
(LP) CADIZ, JOEL – 70,689
(Kilusang Bagong Lipunan) PELO, JOEL – 2,202
(Independent) ILIW ILIW, YAM – 804

Meanwhile, incumbent Camarines Sur governor LRay (NP) is trailing Dato Arroyo (Lakas ng Tao-Christian Muslim Democrats) in a tight race for a congressional seat in the province's second district.

Dato – the youngest son of former First Gentleman Mike Arroyo and former President of the Philippines and current congresswoman from second district of Pampanga Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo brood – has 36,013 votes while LRay has 30,170.

LP's bet for Camarines Sur's second district representative Abang Mabulo has 4,618 votes.

NP's Ato Peña appears to have clinched the Vice Governor post of Camarines Sur with 150,074 votes, nearly double the closest candidate, NPC's Gil Basmayor with 85,081.

Independent Vice Governor candidate Manny Morano got 5,544 as of posting time.

For the rest of Camarines Sur's partial results, click here. — KBK/BM, GMA News