Pinoy candidates weak at the polls

Pinoy candidates weak at the polls

TORONTO – Four Filipino-Canadians won and nine lost in the Nov. 13 municipal elections in Ontario, dousing cold water to talks about the Filipino community’s political awakening.

Two Councillors, both veterans, have retained their seats – Alex Chiu of Ward 8, Markham, who will be serving his eighth term; and Art Viola of Niagara-on-the-Lake, one-time Lord Mayor and serving his second term as Councillor.

Both had gained political foothold in their towns with no significant Filipino votes and had retained their positions while gaining popularity with mainstream voters.

The other two who won seats are Marlene Mogado, Trustee of the Separate School Board in York Region, Area 2 in Markham; and Luz del Rosario,Trustee for Ward 6 and 11in Separate District School Board of the Dufferin-Peel region.

While Mogado and del Rosario won their new seats, incumbent Filipino-Canadian Albert Casuga, Trustee for two terms of Ward 2 and 8 of Dufferin-Peel Catholic School Board, lost his seat by 1,327 votes.

Chiu’s votes of 3,431 was way above his closest rival, Ivy Lee, who had 1,533 votes with a difference of 1,898.

Second placer Councillor Viola’s total votes was 3,383, which was 56% of the votes cast, a close 170 difference to first placer Councillor Terry Flynn who got 3,553 votes. There are eight Councillor seats in Niagara-on-the-Lake. The top Councillor gets to be Deputy Lord Mayor, a post occuppied by Viola in the past three years.

Mogado garnered 2,390 votes (39.22 % of the votes) besting second placer Frank Alexandra by 147 votes.

Del Rosario topped co-Filipino Canadian Rick Falco by 401 votes, with her 1,836 votes (25.24%) to the latter’s 1,435 (19.73 %).

Falco said he didn’t know del Rosario was running until he registered his candidacy.

The favorite talk of the town is the case of Rowena Santos, candidate for Councillor of Ward 14, Parkdale/High Park. She registered 2,978 votes, losing by 838 votes to Gord Perks, a known environmentalist advocate endorsed by Toronto Mayor David Miller. Santos, on the other hand, was endorsed by MPP Cheri DiNovo. Santos, according to sources, was helped unofficially by MP Peggy Nash.
But the Mayor’s support proved to have more weight, considering that Perks was parachuted from nearby Davenport when the incumbent Councillor did not run for reelection.

Santos, in an interview with The Philippine Reporter, said Miller’s endorsement of her opponent was crucial in the outcome of the voting.

“The fight was between the Mayor and myself. Without his endorsement, Perks would not have run. Before Perks registered, I was the strongest candidate and it showed in the final count, I came in second to Perks,” Santos said.

When asked about the Filipino vote, Santos said Filipinos did not come out in big numbers. “It was difficult to get them out to vote. Even as some of them said they would vote, you still had to knock on doors to remind them,” she said.

Willie Reodica, candidate for Councillor in Ward 38, Scarborough Centre, garnered 1,233 votes, placing third from winner Glenn De Baeremaeker who got 8,583 votes and who was also endorsed by Mayor Miller.

Reodica told The Philippine Reporter that there are about 3,500 Filipino voters in his ward. He wondered loudly whether they voted for him or for his opponents or whether they voted at all, given that his vote count was 1,233.

Reodica also lamented the general apathy of Filipino voters in elections in general. “We don’t have cohesiveness, political clout, unlike the Chinese and the Blacks who help themselves,” he said. He cited cases where Filipino voters committed their votes to him and yet apparently supported his opponents.
He was bitter about Miller’s endorsement of Perks against Santos in Parkdale/High Park.

Ramon Datol, publisher of Philippine Courier in North York and an experienced journalist in Manila, who surprised everyone with his candidacy for mayor in Richmond Hill, garnered 962 votes.

Chiu said he and his volunteers worked very hard in the campaign. Winning 41.17% of the votes and running against five opponents, three of them Chinese in densely-Chinese Markham, was no small feat.
The main planks of his platform were improving neighborhood traffic by installing speed bumps and partly subsidizing building fences.

Chiu said there were not too many Filipino voters in Markham. But like Viola, he thrives in a non-Filipino voting environment.

He said he advised Mogado to always go out and canvass for votes. Mogado, who ran years ago for Councillor in Markham, is not a stranger to voters. She is a high-profile volunteer and advocate in her town and in the Filipino community.

Del Rosario is also a high-profile volunteer in Mississauga, having been a leader in organizing the Carrasauga festival for many years.

When a big number of Filipino candidates became known in Toronto and GTA, a rush of excitement was felt among political observers and leaders in the community. They started talking about Filipinos starting to gain political clout.

When the measly votes for most candidates showed after the counting, many were obviously disappointed. The victories of Mogado and del Rosario were not surprising because at least Falco and Casuga served as school trustees before.

The excitement over Santos’s strong potential before the elections, however, sparked more interest since she was running for Councillor of Toronto. Towards the end of the campaign, Santos started to gain the support of community groups even outside her ward. But it proved to be too late. The general apathy of Filipino voters took its toll and combined with Mayor Miller’s support for Perks.