THE five-day filing of certificates of candidacy for senator ended Wednesday with a number of surprises — former Palace spokesman Harry Roque Jr. changing his mind and finally throwing his hat in the Senate race, former senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. mounting a campaign from his detention cell, and former Senate president Juan Ponce Enrile showing up to correct a mistake in his filing.
Election lawyer Romulo Macalintal, the counsel of Vice President Maria Leonor Robredo in the election protest filed by ex-senator Ferdinand Marcos, was accompanied by Marcos counsel George Garcia.
Other aspirants included former senator Sergio Osmeña 3rd, ex-solicitor general Florin Hilbay and former Metropolitan Manila Development Authority chairman Francis Tolentino.
Asked what prompted the change of heart, Roque said being a senator was what he always wanted.
“This is because this is a mid-term election. Historically there are less candidates,” she added.
The first to file a CoC was re-electionist Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel 3rd, while the last was Rodel Salac, 46, an engineer from Brgy. San Bartolome in Novaliches, Quezon City.
Up for grabs in the 2019 elections are 12 seats for senator, 60-party-list representatives, 243 district congressmen, 81 governors, 81 vice governors, 780 members of the Sanggunian Panlalawigan (provincial board), 1,634 city and municipal mayors, 1,634 city and municipal vice mayors, and 13,544 members of city and municipal councils.
Also, a governor and a vice governor for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and 24 ARMM assemblymen.
Commissioner Marlon Casquero, chairman of the 2019 steering committee, said the CoCs would be evaluated to determine who were qualified to run.
Disqualification or declaration of a candidate as nuisance, he added, would be in accordance with the law and jurisprudence.
“Final list of candidates will be out before December 15 for loading in the printing of ballots on January,” he said.
Campaign period
The campaign period for candidates for senator and party-list groups is from Feb. 12, 2019 to May 11, 2019. Campaigning is prohibited on March 28, 2019 (Holy Thursday) and March 29, 2019 (Good Friday).
For candidates for the House of Representatives and elective regional, provincial, city and municipal officials, the campaign period will run from March 30, 2019 to May 11, 2019.
Starting Nov. 30, 2018 until midday of Election Day, the substitute of an official candidate of a political party or coalition, who died or was disqualified by final judgment, may file a CoC, provided that the substitute candidate and the substituted candidate have the same surname.
The last day for all individuals who filed a CoC to file their Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE) is on June 12, 2019.
WITH MARK CRUZET, LIEZELLE ROY AND ZAC SARAO