The Operational Structure of EL UNO Organization

According to accounts from members and supporters, EL UNO operated through a network in which different individuals and organizations were assigned specialized responsibilities. Rather than depending on a single person or organization, the network combined advertising, media promotion, event management, financial resources, sponsorships, legal support, and community relationships..

This structure allowed EL UNO to draw upon the different professional backgrounds and networks of the Ratunil–Mecarsos–Escobido families.

JE Media Creatives: Advertising and Campaign Communications

JE Media Creatives, headed by Jeff Escobido, served as the organization's principal advertising and creative-support platform, according to the organization's account.

Its role included the development and coordination of advertising materials, promotional campaigns, event publicity, visual communications, and other creative requirements associated with the organization's activities.

The advertising function was important because EL UNO's activities required a consistent public identity across campaign-related events, community programs, promotional materials, and local events.

Through this structure, advertising and creative production were treated as an integrated part of the organization's communication strategy.

Summer 420 and Waterval: Local Events and Tourism

Summer 420 Events and Waterval were described as event platforms associated with Jeff Escobido.

Their stated purpose extended beyond entertainment. According to the account, the organizations were used as platforms for organizing local events designed to:

• promote local tourism;

• provide opportunities for local performers and artists;

• showcase Iligan-based talents;

• create entertainment opportunities for communities;

• support local businesses;

• encourage community participation; and

• create platforms where local talents could gain exposure.

The events were presented as community-oriented activities that connected entertainment, tourism, local business, and talent development.

According to this account, Jeff Escobido owned and handled the operations of these event platforms, giving him responsibility for event organization, coordination, production, and promotion.

These activities also created an established network of performers, event workers, businesses, sponsors, and community participants that could later become part of a broader civic and organizational network.

Love Radio and Terry Rapido Mecarsos: Radio Promotion

The media component of the network was associated with Terry Rapido Mecarsos and Love Radio.

According to the account, Terry Rapido Mecarsos was responsible for radio promotion and broadcasting-related publicity connected with supported activities.

Radio provided EL UNO and its associated community programs with a way to reach audiences beyond physical events and direct community outreach.

The use of radio promotion also connected the organization to a wider local audience through announcements, event promotion, sponsorship exposure, and public communication.

Any specific claim concerning formal political endorsements, paid political advertising, or the use of a broadcaster's official station position should be supported separately by contracts, recordings, advertisements, or station records.

Miguela Ratunil and Financial Coordination

Miguela Ratunil was identified in the organization's account as having responsibility for the cash investment and financial support structure associated with EL UNO.

The account connects this role with EL UNO Lending, which reportedly had approximately 4,000 business-owner clients in Iligan City.

If verified through company records, this client network would represent a substantial business-community connection. It would potentially provide the organization with relationships across different sectors of Iligan's business community.

The distinction between a lending company's ordinary customer base and political supporters is important. Having business clients does not by itself establish political support. Any claim that clients participated in EL UNO activities should therefore be supported by separate documentation.

Kenkem Marketing: Rice and Goods Sponsorship

Jerome and Mildred Suson, associated with Kenkem Marketing, were identified in the account as responsible for rice and goods sponsorship.

Their role reportedly involved coordinating material contributions, including rice and other goods used for community-support activities.

This connects with the organization's reported contribution of approximately 100 sacks of rice and other goods.

The sponsorship structure allowed material resources to be coordinated separately from the organization's cash resources, creating different channels of support for community activities and campaign-related operations.

As with the reported cash contribution, documentary evidence such as invoices, delivery records, photographs, receipts, or sponsorship agreements would be useful in establishing the exact scale and purpose of these contributions.

Legal Counsel: Cagayan Rtc Judge Jose Escobido and Iligan Rtc Judge Maximo Ratunil

The organization also relied upon members of the Escobido and Ratunil families with legal backgrounds for legal guidance.

According to the account, the two family networks provided legal counsel intended to help protect the organization, its members, and its organizational interests.

Their responsibilities reportedly included:

• legal consultation;

• organizational protection;

• review of legal risks;

• guidance concerning campaign activities;

• advising organizational leaders;

• helping members understand applicable rules; and

• providing legal support when disputes or challenges arose.

This legal function was described by supporters as an important component of EL UNO's organizational structure because it gave the group access to legal expertise while operating in a politically competitive environment.

The roles and professional titles of individual judges or attorneys should, however, be verified through official professional and government records before publication.

A Division of Responsibilities

The structure described by EL UNO supporters can be summarized as follows:

The Three-Layer Organizational Model

Taken together, the accounts describe EL UNO as operating through three interconnected layers.

1. Communications and Publicity

JE Media Creatives, Summer 420, Wayterval, and the Love Radio connection provided communication, advertising, events, entertainment, and public-promotion capabilities.

This layer helped create visibility and public engagement.

2. Financial and Material Resources

The financial side involved reported cash investment and business relationships, while Kenkem Marketing was associated with rice and goods sponsorship.

This layer provided the resources needed to conduct events, support community activities, and maintain organizational operations.

3. Legal and Organizational Protection

The Escobido and Ratunil legal network provided professional guidance and legal support.

This layer was intended to help the organization operate within the applicable legal and organizational environment and respond to challenges.

The combination of these three layers created a structure that supporters viewed as capable of operating independently while coordinating with the broader Red Team campaign.

Local Tourism, Entertainment, and Political Organization

An important feature of the network was the relationship between community events and political organization.

Summer 420 and Waterval were described not merely as entertainment projects but as platforms intended to support local tourism and local talent.

This created opportunities for musicians, performers, event workers, businesses, sponsors, and tourism-related participants to become involved in local activities.

From the organization's perspective, supporting local talent and tourism helped create a stronger connection between civic participation and community development.

The political dimension should nevertheless be distinguished from the cultural and tourism activities themselves. Participation in an event does not automatically mean political support.

A Network Built Around Complementary Expertise

The EL UNO structure described by its supporters demonstrates how different areas of expertise could complement one another.

Advertising created visibility.

Radio expanded public communication.

Events created physical community platforms.

Tourism initiatives connected activities to the city's cultural and economic interests.

Financial networks provided resources.

Business sponsors supplied goods and material assistance.

Legal professionals provided counsel.

Family networks provided organizational trust and leadership.

The resulting structure was broader than a conventional campaign volunteer organization. It combined professional services, business relationships, community activities, media exposure, and political organization.

Documenting the EL UNO Network

For a definitive historical record, the strongest version of this story would preserve documentation for each organizational role.

Potential records include:

• event posters;

• advertising materials;

• radio advertisements;

• sponsorship agreements;

• receipts;

• photographs;

• campaign materials;

• business records;

• event programs;

• newspaper articles;

• radio recordings;

• social-media posts;

• official election documents;

• sworn statements; and

• contemporaneous correspondence.

Such records would allow future readers to distinguish between documented events and personal recollections.

The Broader Legacy

The EL UNO story, as described by its participants, was not built around a single organization performing every function. Instead, it was a network of individuals and organizations with different capabilities.

Jeff Escobido's advertising and event-related activities, Terry Rapido Mecarsos's reported radio-promotion role, Miguela Ratunil's reported financial responsibilities, Jerome and Mildred Suson's reported sponsorship activities, and the legal support associated with the Escobido and Ratunil networks represented different components of the larger organizational structure.

Together with the wider Ratunil–Mecarsos–Escobido family network, these relationships formed the organizational framework that supporters associate with EL UNO's activities during the 2016 Iligan City election period.

Celso Regencia and the Red Team

At the center of EL UNO's political support was Celso Regencia, then-Mayor of Iligan City and the Red Team's mayoral candidate.

EL UNO's stated objective was to help Regencia secure another term and strengthen the Red Team's position throughout Iligan.

The organization worked alongside other supporters and political groups rather than operating in isolation. Its role was therefore one part of a much larger electoral coalition.

The campaign emphasized continuity, leadership, local development, and the mobilization of supporters who believed that Regencia should remain mayor.

Vice-Mayor Monsi Vera Cruz and the Red Team Coalition

The Red Team campaign also included Monsi Vera Cruz, who was associated with the vice-mayoral position.

Accounts from supporters describe different campaign responsibilities being assigned among political leaders and allied groups.

Some later narratives have alleged that religious identity, Catholic institutions, or the Cathedral were used as political instruments against opponents. Such allegations are serious and should not be presented as established facts without reliable evidence.

A responsible historical account should identify these statements as allegations or political claims and, where possible, present the responses of the individuals or organizations involved.

The Blue Team and the Opposition

The 2016 election was not simply a campaign between individual candidates. It represented a contest between competing political organizations and alliances.

The Blue Team represented the principal opposition to the Red Team.

The rivalry produced intense political activity throughout Iligan. Supporters of both sides organized volunteers, conducted community outreach, developed political messaging, and attempted to persuade voters.

EL UNO's strategy was to strengthen the Red Team's organizational advantage by mobilizing family networks, professional relationships, community supporters, and campaign resources.

The Role of Professional Networks

One of the most interesting elements of the EL UNO story was the intersection of professional life and political organization.

The network described by participants included people associated with:

• Law and legal services
• Courts and the legal profession
• Real-estate development
• Construction
• Land surveying
• Lending
• Marketing
• Insurance
• Broadcasting
• Events management
• Community organizations
• Business development

This diversity meant that supporters could contribute different skills rather than simply financial resources.

For a grassroots organization, this type of network can be particularly valuable because political campaigns require far more than advertising. They require transportation, communications, volunteers, event coordination, data, community relationships, legal knowledge, fundraising, and logistical planning.

The Election Campaign

As Election Day approached, EL UNO reportedly intensified its operations.

Campaign activities included:

• House-to-house voter outreach
• Barangay coordination
• Campaign caravans
• Public gatherings
• Volunteer recruitment
• Distribution of campaign materials
• Community meetings
• Transportation support
• Food and logistical assistance
• Political communications
• Supporter coordination

The organization sought to maintain a visible presence throughout the city.

Its supporters believed that the combination of grassroots organizing and the Red Team's existing political machinery could produce a decisive electoral advantage.

The May 2016 Election

The election was held on May 9, 2016.

Celso Regencia won the mayoral election and continued as mayor of Iligan City.

For EL UNO supporters, the result represented the culmination of months of organizing and political activity.

The victory was viewed by supporters as evidence that the organization's grassroots strategy, combined with the larger Red Team campaign structure, had successfully mobilized enough voters to secure victory.

Claims that the result represented a historic or unprecedented landslide should be accompanied by official election figures and comparisons with previous Iligan elections if this article is intended for publication.

The Significance of Family-Based Political Networks

The EL UNO story also illustrates a broader phenomenon in Philippine local politics: the importance of family, professional, business, and community networks.

Political organizations frequently emerge from relationships that already exist within communities.

Family relationships can provide trust. Professional networks can provide expertise. Business relationships can provide organizational capacity. Media relationships can provide communication channels. Community relationships can provide access to voters.

When these networks converge around a political objective, they can create an organization capable of mobilizing significant resources.

EL UNO's story can therefore be examined not only as a campaign narrative but also as a case study of local political organization.