LUCENA CITY — Deputy Speaker David Suarez on Monday filed his certificate of candidacy (COC) to seek reelection as the representative of the Quezon province’s 2nd district.
In an interview with journalists after the COC filing, Suarez emphasized the importance of unity among Quezon officials regardless of political color.
“The real challenge for us is to make sure that this unity that we can achieve in our province will be felt and can bring about change in the lives of our people,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and we have to make sure that it will work. We need to be able to be responsible enough, mature enough, and set aside our own political interests and ambitions for the greater glory and welfare of the people,” he added.
The legislator also stressed that the necessity of “checks and balances will always be there.”
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Among the four congressmen of the province, Suarez — who served as governor from 2010 to 2019 — is the only one who is not an ally of reelectionist Governor Angelina Tan.
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Dr. Keith Mikhal Tan, son of the governor, has long been making his presence felt in the second district. Last week, the young Tan, popularly known as “Doc Kim,” filed his COC for provincial board member in the 2nd district.
As of Monday, Suarez’s reelection bid will be unopposed since no politicians in the province have yet to file COCs to wage an electoral battle against him.