ON THE last day of certificate of candidacy (COC) and certificate of nomination and acceptance (CNA) filing, the Manila Hotel Tent City was flooded with multiple party-lists and few senatorial bets to begin the day.
Peter Joemel “Bukoy” Advincula, who was convicted of perjury, was the first to file his COC for the Senate campaign on Tuesday. While Kababaihan party-list was the first to file a CNA.
The Kababaihan party-list was led by its first nominee, Quezon City Councilor Kate Galang-Coseteng, with the goal of giving women a stronger voice in a variety of issues that impact them today.
“Ang kagustohan po ng Kababaihan party-list ay ang katarungan para sa mga kababaihan, ang pagsasagawa po ng ekonomiya para sa mga kababaihan, at pangatlo po ay para sa kalusugan ng mga kababaihan,” she said.
Senatorial aspirants
Rodante Marcoleta, another well-known figure, passed his COC this morning. From 2019 to 2022, he served as House Deputy Speaker in the 18th Congress.
Marcoleta was met with a barrage of questions about his controvesial statements about Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Garcia, who allegedly had offshore financial accounts.
However, the senatorial candidate was clearly dodging the said topic. He also stated that he wants to focus on his campaign first and foremost, rather than fighting two battles at once, but he continues to trust Comelec.
“Gaya ng sinabi ko, hindi ako pwedeng lumaban ng dalawang battles at the same time. Gusto ko po ay makapaglingkod muna,” said Marcoleta.
“Nananatili po akong ganap na naniniwala sa magagawa ng Comelec, upang pairalin ang isang malinis, tapat, at credible na eleksyon sa ating bansa. Yon pong pag-asa at paniniwala ay nananatili pa rin sa aking puso.”
Other senate candidates included Heidi Mendoza, former officer-in-charge of the Commission on Audit, and Roy Cabonegro, former national chairperson of Makakalikasan.
The long list of party-lists
Following the initial filing of party-lists, Tulungan Tayo Party-lists led by Cisco Flores, Aksyon Dapat Party-lists led by Hernanie Braganza, and Murang Kuryente Party-list led by Atty. Arthur Yap was able to file their CNAs.
This was followed by the Asenso Pinoy Party, the United Frontliners Party, the Wage Hike Party, the Sagip Party, and the Cong. Bro. Eddie Villanueva’s CIBAC Party List.
Villanueva claimed that one of their primary intentions is to introduce legislation that will penalize public servants who are found guilty of corrupting more than P100 million in public cash with the death penalty.
He does not entirely endorse the bill that they intend to introduce at first. However, due to the problematic legal system, where justice may be abused, he believes that corrupt authorities will fear the death penalty.
Meanwhile, the afternoon filing session is expected to be more hectic as candidates rush to beat the clock with only a few hours until the deadline for filing their COCs and CNAs at 5:00 PM today.
