Vilma Santos proclaimed Batangas governor

(Updated 11:06 a.m.) Actress-turned-politician Vilma Santos was officially proclaimed Monday as the governor-elect of Batangas, GMA News' Flash Report said. Clad in red, a visibly elated Santos attended proclamation rites at the provincial capitol, the same building where her electoral rival Gov. Armand Sanchez holds office. She readily smiled before photographers, raising her clenched fist as a victory pose. Santos, currently mayor of Lipa City, thanked her fellow Batangueños for supporting her gubernatorial bid while calling for unity in the province. "I only ask for one thing. Please support me, cooperate and participate in all of the [activities] for our province," Santos said. She added that, "Rest assured, I will just do my very best. God will take care of the rest." The Lipa mayor handily defeated Sanchez, with the Batangas provincial board of canvassers (BOC) placing the final count at 475,740 votes for Santos and 344,969 for the governor. The BOC declared Santos the winner last Saturday. In distant third was Nestor Senares who only received 34,000 votes. Sanchez skipped the flag-raising ceremony at the provincial capitol also held Monday morning. As this developed, Santos' husband, reelectionist Sen. Ralph Recto, was absent during the proclamation. Santos said she will not hold a victory celebration yet, since Recto was not with her and her supporters. Recto is hoping to keep a steady slot within the Magic 12 of the senatorial race. The National Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel), in its unofficial and partial tally, placed Recto in 14th spot based on its results as of 11:29 p.m. Sunday. - GMANews.TV