MANILA, Philippines — Las Piñas Councilor Mark Anthony Santos has filed his Certificate of Candidacy (COC), seeking to secure a seat in the House of Representatives for the city’s lone district.
Santos — who is already a seven-time city councilor — is the first to file his COC at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) National Capital Region office in San Juan City on Sunday, October 6.
He likewise expressed confidence in winning the 2025 polls as he challenged Senator Cynthia Villar in a battle he likened to the one between “David and Goliath.”
“Today, Oct. 6, 2024, I formally filed my certificate of candidacy as a candidate for the lone congressional seat of Las Piñas City. Like in the past elections, I would also be running again as an independent aspirant,” Santos said.
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He also called his rival a “rude billionaire candidate” whom he claimed “found herself at the center of multiple controversies, often due to her illogical and sometimes ‘out-of-this-world’ views.
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“I filed my COC a day ahead to my party-mates, led by Las Piñas mayoralty candidate April Aguilar-Nery and incumbent Mayor Imelda Aguilar – now running for vice mayor, and the 12 candidates for councilors in the city’s two districts, for next year’s midterm elections,” he noted.
“I have also full confidence that the local electorate, particularly those from the marginalized sectors like the informal settlers, as well as youth organizations and labor groups, will go for ‘Little David’ – that is me, and the entire Aguilar-Nery slate in the upcoming May 2025 mid-term elections,” he added.
Santos vowed to be “the real voice” of Las Piñas residents.
“This early, I promised to the Las Piñas people, whom I endeared much over the years that I am into public service, that I would be their real voice to the House of Representatives who would always hear and listen to them, attend to their plight and defend them at all cost to the best of my ability and resources,” he said.