Bernos-Bersamin alliance topples Valera dynasty in Abra
INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
BAGUIO CITY — The political landscape in Abra underwent a dramatic transformation in the 2025 midterm elections, as a new alliance between the Bernos and Bersamin families swept all major positions in the province, ending the long-standing dominance of the Valera political clan.
For years, the Valeras and Bernoses had shared power, maintaining a grip on Abra’s politics.
In 2022, their combined forces successfully fended off challenges from the Lunas and the Bersamins.
But ahead of the 2025 polls, alliances shifted: the Bernoses broke away and aligned with the Bersamins, while the Valeras joined forces with their former rivals, the Lunas.
On Monday, the Bernos-Bersamin coalition delivered a landslide victory.
Former governor Eustaquio “Takit” Bersamin—brother of Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin—regained the gubernatorial seat. His niece, Anne Bersamin, clinched the vice governorship, unseating incumbent Joy Valera-Bernos and her son Kiko with commanding leads of over 84,500 and 88,000 votes, respectively.
In the congressional race, La Paz Mayor Joseph Sto. Niño “JB” Bernos, now allied with the Bersamins, triumphed by more than 100,000 votes over Bangued Mayor Mila Valera, Joy’s mother, in a three-way race that included Derdrei Luna-Ifurong.
Across the province, nearly all candidates backed by the Bernos-Bersamin alliance secured victories. Only one Valera-backed candidate managed to break into the provincial board’s Top 10.
The alliance’s sweep extended even to traditional Valera strongholds like Bangued, Pidigan, and Bucay.
In Bangued, Governor Dominic Valera was defeated in his mayoral bid by Perfecto “Pope” Cardenas. Cardenas’s running mate, Allan Seares, also bested Councilor Mark Anthony Go, Dominic’s grandnephew, in the vice mayoral race.
In Pidigan, Artemio “Billy” Donato and running mate Anno Bisares ousted Obay Valera and her father, Domino. Meanwhile, in Bucay, JB Bernos’s daughter Jaja unseated Mayor Jay Go, Dominic Valera’s son-in-law, while Jojo Zales defeated Go’s wife Sylvia for the vice mayoralty.
On the national front, the Solid North Partylist—led by Menchie Bernos, JB’s wife and incumbent Abra representative—is performing strongly, currently ranking 8th in the party-list race.
Abra’s elections were held under heightened security following a spate of pre-election violence, including several shootings. Authorities deployed more than 100 additional police personnel to maintain order. While isolated incidents, such as a shooting in Bangued that left two injured, occurred on election day, police reported that voting remained generally peaceful and under control.
With the Valeras swept from power and the Bernos-Bersamin tandem now firmly in control, the 2025 elections marked not only the fall of one political dynasty but the consolidation of another. INQ
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