Noel Rosal wins Albay gubernatorial race over Joey Salceda

Former Albay governor Noel Rosal has defeated incumbent Representative Joey Salceda in a closely contested election for provincial governor on Tuesday, May 13.

Rosal received 401,615 votes compared to Salceda's 391,902 votes based on partial, unofficial results from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) with 99.17% of precincts reporting.

Despite pre-election polls favoring Salceda by double digits, Rosal emerged victorious in a race where undecided voters made up a significant portion of the electorate.

Salceda moved to suspend Rosal's proclamation due to his suspension by the Ombudsman, but Rosal's camp argued that Comelec had no final decision on disqualification.

The Provincial Board of Canvassers proceeded to proclaim Rosal as governor despite Salceda's objections.

With this victory, Albay has seen four different governors in just a decade, reflecting the volatility and rapid turnover in provincial leadership.