Commission on Elections. INQUIRER FILES
TACLOBAN CITY – Leyte Governor Carlos Jericho Petilla filed his certificate of candidacy (COC) on Monday, Oct.7, to seek reelection.
Since the start of the COC filing last Oct.1, no other candidate filed candidacy for the position of Leyte governor, according to records from the provincial office of the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
Petilla was accompanied by his running mate, incumbent Vice Governor Leonardo Javier, and other candidates vying for provincial board seats.
Petilla is seeking reelection under the Nacionalist People’s Coalition (NPC), which is part of a coalition aligned with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Asked about his priorities if reelected, Petilla said his focus would be enhancing agricultural productivity, with an emphasis on modern technology to help local farmers.
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“Inflation is one of the country’s biggest challenges, including here in Leyte. Agriculture plays a significant role in this. The cost of everything is rising, but food prices, in particular, have seen the biggest surge,” Petilla told the INQUIRER after filing his COC.
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“That’s why we need to invest in agriculture and use modern technology to make it more competitive and sustainable,” he added.
Meanwhile, the nephew of Speaker Martin Romualdez is running for mayor of Tolosa, their hometown.
John Lorenz Romualdez filed his COC on Oct. 5. He is running under the banner of the Aksiyon Demokratiko, the party that fielded Manila mayoral candidate Isko Moreno in the 2022 presidential election.
The younger Romualdez said he respected the “equity of the incumbent” principle, which prevents his candidacy under the administration’s banner.
He will be facing off against incumbent Mayor Erwin Ocaña, who has the support of Speaker Romualdez.
The younger Romualdez said he wanted to boost Tolosa’s economy.
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“It’s unfortunate that Tolosa remains a poor municipality. I hope to attract investors and create opportunities for our people,” he said.
