How Southern Leyte voted in the 2025 elections
The Mercado dynasty retained their foothold in the province, yet the poll results were a mixed bag in their skirmish against the Yap family
Hello, mga kababayan!
Southern Leyte remained under the rule of the Mercados in the 2025 elections, but the Yap family tested the ruling clan’s political influence and claimed a victory of their own.
Governor Damian Mercado (Lakas-CMD) eked out a two-percentage point victory against businesswoman Amalia Yap (Independent), winning by a mere 5,202 votes. This is Mercado’s smallest margin of victory for the governorship in the last 4 elections.1
Yap is the mother of 2nd District Representative Christopherson Yap, who was victorious in his reelection bid against a Mercado-endorsed bet from another political family. (More below.)
Independent candidate Leo Oliverio received less than 1% of the vote.
The now third-termer incumbent’s biggest vote share was logged in the island town of Limasawa, with 73%. His nearly 11,000-vote margin in the capital Maasin City, where he was a longtime mayor, boosted his lead in the overall count. He won in 7 other towns, but with only slight majorities.
Amalia Yap, meanwhile, won in 10 towns, with a vote share above 60% and a vote margin above 3,000 in Malitbog and Liloan.
Vice Governor Rosa Emilia “Milai” Mercado (Lakas-CMD), the governor’s sister, ran unopposed for the second election in a row.
House races
The governor’s brother, Roger “Oging” Mercado (NPC), easily thwarted a challenge by Marisa Lerias (KNP) in his comeback bid for the 1st District seat in Congress. Oging is the husband of Rep. Luz Mercado, who was elected mayor of Maasin City.
Lerias is the daughter of former governor and congresswoman Rosette Lerias.
Independent candidate Oscar Camus was also in the contest, but only got 2%.
Mercado won in all 7 towns in the district, but had close fights against Lerias in Malitbog, Macrohon, and Padre Burgos, the same towns Amalia Yap had in her winning column in the gubernatorial race.
In the 2nd District, Amalia’s son, Rep. Christopherson “Coco” Yap (Lakas-CMD) won a second term in a tight race against independent bet Imelda “Emie” Tan, the mother of ex-vice governor and Sogod Mayor Sheffered Lino Tan. The Mercados endorsed her for the post.
Yap was a former vice governor himself, previously allied with the Mercado clan.
The map for the 2nd District House contest is similar to that of the governor’s race, with Yap winning the same towns as his mother. Liloan, Saint Bernard, and Pintuyan gave Yap considerable margins between 1,000 and 4,000 votes.
Other local contests
Here’s a graphic showing all local results in Southern Leyte, including the winning board members in each of the two districts. The province was among many that received additional seats in the Sangguniang Panlalawigan or provincial board due to the adjustment in their income classification.
Mercado’s bets in the Lakas ticket won 8 of the 10 elective seats in the board. The remaining seats went to the two candidates endorsed by Yap, one in each district.
In the graphic, the top 15 senatorial candidates and top 5 party list groups in the province are also shown. Leading bets in the Magic 12 there were mostly composed of candidates endorsed by Vice President Sara Duterte.
The group that topped the party list race in Southern Leyte is Tingog Sinirangan, led by 1st nominee Andrew Julian Romualdez, son of House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
In addition, listed in the graphic are the winners of the contests for mayor and vice mayor in each locality.
In Maasin City, outgoing 1st District Rep. Luz Mercado (Lakas-CMD) successfully replaced her son Nacional “Nikko” Mercado as mayor, defeating Vice Mayor Maloney Samaco (PDR) and Gerardo Dator (Independent).
Sogod Mayor Sheffered Lino Tan (Lakas-CMD) emerged victorious in his nail-biter reelection bid against Yap-endorsed Ret. MGen. Camilo “Milo” Ligayo (Independent).
Overall, 9 mayors and 10 vice mayors were reelected. 14 mayors and 14 vice mayors are from Lakas-CMD.
#ODIBa!
Side note: As usual, please feel free to check my work! I’m a DM, comment, or email away!
Damian Mercado returned as Southern Leyte governor in the 2016 elections, but the Office of the Ombudsman dismissed him in 2017 over a graft case. Mercado secured a reversal of the Ombudsman’s order from the Court of Appeals in 2018, effectively reinstating him. This meant his term as governor was interrupted. As such, after winning again in 2019 and 2022, his 2025 reelection served as his mandate for a third term, not a fourth.