Labor leaders Leody de Guzman and Luke Espiritu, of the Partido Lakas ng Masa, officially joining the Senate race. INQUIRER.net / Dianne Sampang
MANILA, Philippines — Progressive Senate aspirants and party-list nominees as well as political scions dominated the fourth day of midterm elections filing on Friday, Oct. 4.
Eleven senatorial aspirants from the Makabayan coalition were the early birds of the certificate of candidacy (COC) filing here at Manila Hotel Garden Tent.
The rallying cry of the left-wing coalition, which consisted of sectoral leaders, revolved around addressing agricultural woes, upholding the rights of workers and indigenous people and their pushing for an independent foreign policy.
READ: 11 Makabayan senatorial bets file COC
Las Piñas lone district representative Camille Villar was the next to file her COC, as several dozens of her orange-clad supporters carrying banners bearing her name gathered outside the venue.
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Camille was also joined by the Villar patriarch, former Senate president, House speaker and real estate mogul Manny, as well as her brother Mark.
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Should she emerge victorious, Camille will join her brother Mark in the Senate, while current senator and their matriarch Cynthia will gun for a seat in the House of Representatives.
Camille, the potential fourth senator in the family, addressed the perception of them becoming a political dynasty.
“For me, as long as we are elected by our countrymen and given trust, we should not waste it,” Villar said in an ambush interview in Filipino.
Makati Mayor Abigail Binay also formalized her Senate bid. Her sister, Senator Nancy Binay, will run to become her successor, locking horns with Abigail’s husband, Makati Rep. Luis Campos.
Binay shrugged off his brother Junjun Binay’s call to back their sister Nancy in her mayoralty bid, saying she already made her decision to support her husband whom she said she trusts to continue her projects in the city.
Abby also said she does not yet want to dwell on the prospects of working with Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano in light of the dispute of Makati and Taguig — ruled by the clans of Binay and Cayetano, respectively — in the jurisdiction of 10 “embo” villages.
“We will cross the bridge when we get there,” Abby said when asked about Alan Peter, also saying that she has “no issues” working with Alan Peter’s sister Sen. Pia Cayetano.
Villar and Binay are included in the 12 senatorial lineup backed by the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Gabriela party-list representatives also lodged their certificate of nomination and acceptance (Cona), to seek a House comeback. Women’s rights issues like the decriminalization of abortion and their hardline stance against prostitution were the salient points of their media interview.
“There are no children who have ever said: ‘When I grow up, I want to be a prostituted woman,’” said Dr. Jean Lindo, Gabriela’s third nominee, when pressed about their stance on legalization of “sex work,” with her even disputing the very term.
Also, Ka Leody De Guzman and Luke Espiritu also filed their COC for senator under the democratic socialist party Partido Lakas ng Masa.
“In the upcoming elections, the workers will now have a choice. Not from a dynasty, but [from] the working class!” De Guzman said in a Facebook post announcing his bid.
Likewise, 1Rider party-list Rep. Bonifacio Bosita also filed his COC to run for senator.
For Oct. 4, 18 senatorial aspirants filed their COCs while 14 party-lists also filed their Conas.
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So far, 58 senatorial aspirants filed their COC, while 50 party-list groups filed their Conas since the beginning of filing on Oct. 1
