Upset in Albay: Joey Salceda loses in gubernatorial race

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Pre-election surveys of Social Weather Stations had Congressman Joey Salceda ahead by double digits in April and early May, although undecided voters were then at a high 20% in April and 15% in May

ALBAY, Philippines – Contrary to pre-election surveys and expectations, former Albay governor Noel Rosal has defeated Albay 2nd District Representative Joey Salceda in a very close contest for provincial governor. 

Rosal received 401,615 votes while Salceda got 391,902 votes, a slim margin of 9,713 votes, based on partial, unofficial results sourced from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) Media Server with 99.17% of precincts reporting on Tuesday, May 13.

Rosal ran under the PDP-Laban while Salceda was a candidate of the administration Lakas-CMD.

Pre-election surveys of pollster Social Weather Stations (SWS) had Salceda ahead by double digits — 12 percentage points in April and 15 points in early May — although undecided voters were still at a high 20% in April and 15% in May.

On Tuesday afternoon, Salceda moved to suspend the proclamation of Rosal on the grounds of his suspension by the Ombudsman. The Comelec Second Division, in a decision penned on December 27, 2024, had disqualified Rosal from joining the gubernatorial race but the Supreme Court (SC) issued a temporary restraining order on January 21.

But Rosal’s camp countered there was no decision from the Comelec to suspend the proclamation since the decision on his disqualification was not yet final. He was thus proclaimed by the Provincial Board of Canvassers on Tuesday.

VICTORY. Former Albay governor is proclaimed the winner in the gubernatorial race by the Provincial Board of Canvassers on May 13, 2025. Photo by Reinnard Balonzo

Prior to his 2022 gubernatorial victory, Rosal served as Legazpi City mayor from 2001 to 2010 and again from 2013 to 2022.

With Rosal’s victory, Albay has now had four different governors in the past decade alone.

Bichara held the governorship from 1995 to 2004 and from 2016 to 2022. He was defeated by Rosal in 2022. However, Rosal’s tenure was brief, only 5 months, as he was removed in December 2022 for alleged election law violations. He was succeeded by Grex Lagman.

Lagman was suspended from office twice: preemptively in October 2024 and then definitively in April 2025 when the ruling was released on his alleged involvement in jueteng payola or gambling payoffs. Baby Glenda Ong Bongao was later appointed as his replacement. – Rappler.com