The Commission on Elections (Comelec) declared 32 official candidates who will be joining the senatorial race for the mid-term elections next year.
Comelec chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. confirmed five new senatorial candidates have been added to the list, which is dominated by bets from Liberal Party (LP) and United Nationalist Alliance (UNA).
“There are 32 senatorial candidates. There’s already a resolution, which is being passed around for signatures (of commissioners),” Brillantes said.
Brillantes said the poll body “gave due course” to the candidacy of the following:
1. Ricardo Penson (independent)
2. Samson Alcantara (Social Justice Society)
3. Greco Antonious Beda Belgica (Democratic Party of the Philippines)
4. Baldomero Falcone (Democratic Party of the Philippines)
5. Christian Señeres(Democratic Party of the Philippines)
Earlier, Comelec en banc gave due course to the certificates of candidacy of nine candidates from administration slate like:
6. Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV
7. Former Las Pinas City Rep. Cynthia Villar
8. Former Akbayan Rep. Ana Theresia “Risa” Hontiveros-Baraquel
9. Former Senator Maria Ana Consuelo “Jamby” Madrigal
10. Former Senator Ramon Magsaysay Jr
11. Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara
12. Senator Alan Peter Cayetano
13. Senator Antonio Trillanes IV
14. Senator Aquilino Martin Pimentel 3rd
The poll body also allowed the following candidates from Vice President Jejomar Binay’s UNA:
15. Maria Lourdes Nancy Binay
16. Margarita “Tin-Tin” Cojuangco,
17. Former Senator Richard “Dick” Gordon,
18. Former Senator Ernesto Maceda
19. Former Senator Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri
20. San Juan City Rep. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito
21. Zambales Rep. Maria Milagros “Mitos” Magsaysay
22. Cagayan Rep. Juan Ponce “Jack” Enrile Jr.
23. Senator Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan,
Comelec en banc also allowed common candidates of LP and UNA to run for Senate next week:
24. Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) chair Grace Poe-Llamanzares
25. Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero
26. Senator Loren Legarda
Other official senatorial candidates include:
27. John Carlos De Los Reyes
28. Marwil Llasos
29. Rizalito David
30. Former Philippine Constabulary chief Ramon Montaño
31. Puerto Princesa Mayor Edward Hagedorn
32. Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Teodoro “Teddy” Casiño
The poll body also declared the remaining 52 out of 82 aspirants who filed certificates of candidacy from Oct. 1 to 5 as nuisance candidates.
But Norma Nueva, the 75-year old woman who admitted having a crush against Brillantes, personally went to Comelec to insist on her legitimacy.
Brillantes maintained the poll body can no longer change its position after promulgating the decision with finality on Monday.
He advised Nueva and others to question the legality of their decision before the Supreme Court.
Communist insurgents killed five civilians and kidnapped five soldiers in the southern Philippines on Tuesday in the latest of a series of violent acts following the collapse of peace talks, authorities said. …
