A large number of senatorial bets and party-list nominees filed their certificates of candidacy and certificates of nomination for the May 2019 elections as the Commission on Elections wrapped up the last day of filing.
CoCs from 150 senatorial and 179 party-list hopefuls were received, Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said.
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In the 2016 elections, there were 174 senatorial and 213 party-list aspirants.
Reelectionists, former senators, congressmen, Cabinet members, and other high-ranking government officials dominate the list of senatorial candidates.
Among the prominent personalities that went to the Comelec were 94-year old former senator Juan Ponce-Enrile, former Palace spokesman Harry Roque, former Interior secretary Rafael Alunan, former senator Serge Osmeña, election lawyer Romula Macalintal and Florin Hilbay.
The Comelec said it will release the final list of candidates in December, as many of them would be considered as nuisance candidates.
Senator Francis Pangilinan said the filing of CoCs of the three former senators implicated in the multi-billion-peso pork barrel scam”•Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada, and Ramon Revilla– was an indication of the level of disrespect and cynicism about the country’s democracy and electoral system.
“I hope our voters will see through that, and choose our opposition coalition slate who embody respect and hope for all that is good in the Filipino,” said Pangilinan.
The senatorial candidates of the opposition coalition are Magdalo Party-list Rep. Gary Alejano, Senator Paolo Benigno Aquino IV, DLSU Law Dean Chel Diokno, former Bangsamoro Transition Commission member Samira Gutoc, former solicitor general Florin Hilbay, election lawyer Romy Macalintal, former senator and DILG secretary Mar Roxas, and former Deputy Speaker Erin Tañada.
Senator Panfilo Lacson exhorted voters to choose between politics of service and politics of interest.
The list of seven reelectionist-senators was finally completed with Senator Juan Edgardo Angara filing his CoC on the fifth and last day of filing at the Comelec main office in Intramuros, Manila.
The number of former senators running next year came to seven—Angara, Enrile, Estrada, Revilla, Lito Lapid, Pia Cayetano, and Osmeña.
Former senator Rodolfo Biazon, who was reportedly interested in running, did not file his CoC.
Senator Aquilino Pimentel III (PDP-Laban) was the earliest to file his CoC, citing his wedding to chef Kathryn Yu today (Oct.18) at the Coconut Palace.
Others who followed him were Senators Nancy Binay (UNA), Cynthia Villar (NP), Grace Poe (Independent), JV Ejercito (NPC) and Aquino (LP).
With eight candidates, the opposition had the most number of Senate aspirants.
Former presidential spokesman Harry Roque filed his CoC to pursue a run for the Senate, two days after he vowed to run to be a party-list representative.
Roque, who filed his CoC under People’s Reform Party (PRP), said he wants to channel the persona of late senator Miriam Defensor Santiago.
“My warning to the corrupt, to the stupid, to the anomalous in government, the spirit of Miriam Defensor Santiago will haunt you through the person of Harry Roque,” he said.
Asked for his stance on extrajudicial killings, Roque compared Santiago to the President.
“Nobody agrees with extrajudicial killing, but like the President, Miriam Defensor Santiago is a lawyer, so prove first if someone really sinned,” he said.
On Monday, Roque said he had dropped his Senate dream as he parted ways “on very good terms” with President Rodrigo Duterte.
Roque said he would vie for a seat in the House of Representatives under the Luntian Pilipinas party-list, saying it is time to be his own person again.
“It’s time to be my own person again… I’m now back to the old person that I was. I knew that as a spokesperson, I had no personal views, that period has ended I’m able now to freely advocate for the many issues that are close to my heart,” he told Palace reporters in his last press briefing.
He originally planned to run as the first nominee of Luntian Pilipinas, an environmental party-list, with Ciara Sotto, daughter of Senate President Vicente Sotto III as the second nominee.
He added that his decision was “largely influenced” by Duterte’s desire to protect the environment.
Roque said he hoped the President would endorse his senatorial bid.
Also on Wednesday, a spokesman for Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista said he is no longer interested in politics and only wanted to spend time with his three children.
Ares Gutierrez, Public Affairs and Information Services Office chief, said the mayor told him he would no longer file his CoC on the last day of filing.
Members of the media waited for the mayor to arrive at the Comelec office on North Avenue, believing he would run as the next vice mayor to succeed incumbent Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte, who is gunning to succeed Bautista, but the mayor, who is on his last term, did not show up.
House Majority Leader Rolando Andaya, meanwhile, said he escaped what police suspected to be an assassination attempt by a lone gunman who sneaked in after he filed his CoC for Camarines Sur governor.
The incident occurred inside the Capitol Complex of Camarines Sur in Pili town late Tuesday afternoon.
Andaya said the gunman, who was identified as Ray John Musa, member of the Capital Complex Security Unit, was arrested and subsequently charged with attempted murder and violation of the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act.
Witnesses told police investigators that Musa was seen acting suspiciously when he mingled with Andaya’s supporters who accompanied the congressman in filing his CoC before the local Comelec office at 2:30 pm.
Shortly after Andaya left the Comelec office, the suspect reportedly approached him from behind and tried to pull out a firearm. The gun, however, fell to the ground, which drew the attention of Andaya’s companions.
Andaya said his close-in security subdued the gunman and recovered a .38-cal. revolver loaded with live ammunition.
The suspect and his firearm were later turned over to Police Officer 3 Renan Bongalon.
Andaya said he believes the gunman was acting on orders of powerful political figures in Camarines Sur who were “threatened” by his decision to run for governor. With PNA
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