As the registration was coming to a close, an independent candidate from Bayawan City, Walter Gasendo, filed his certificate of candidacy just before the 5 pm deadline to make a three-cornered fight for the gubernatorial race in Negros Oriental.
Gasendo will have to squeeze into the tight two-way race for the governorship of incumbent Gov. Roel Degamo and Rep. George Arnaiz (Neg. Or., 2nd District).
Degamo is seeking re-election for a second term, while Arnaiz is making a comeback for the position he had held previously for three terms before serving in Congress.
Arnaiz and his team mates were the first to file at 8 a.m. Thursday, as soon as the provincial office of the Commission on Elections in Dumaguete City opened.
Vice Gov. Edward Mark Macias (LP), also filed his candidacy for re-election, while Dumaguete Mayor Manuel Sagarbarria (NPC), who is serving his second term as mayor, will contest the 2nd District congressional seat.
Those who filed COCs for the Sangguniang Panlalawigan are Rommel Erames, Mariant Escaño-Villegas, Melliemoore Saycon, and Nilo Sayson, all under NPC, for the 2nd District; and Edmund Dy and Peve Ligan (NPC), and Nick Valde Lim (LP) for the 3rd District.
They were accompanied by former 1st District Rep. Jocelyn Limkaichong, incumbent Board Members Georgita Martinez, and Jessica Jane Villanueva, and Guihulngan City Councilor Jaime Reyes, all LP members, who are also seeking election in 2016, and have filed their COCs Tuesday.
Completing the political lineup of the NPC-LP coalition in Negros Oriental is incumbent BM Arnulfo Teves Jr., who filed Wednesday his CoC for congressman of the 3rd District.
Meanwhile, Degamo and his team filed their CoCs at around 10 a.m., after a mass at the Capitol.
Degamo was accompanied by his wife, Janice, who is running for mayor of Pamplona, Negros Oriental.
With them are BM Liland Estacion who is gunning for vice governor; former 1st District Rep. Jacinto Paras who is seeking a comeback in Congress; BM Erwin Macias for the 2nd congressional district seat; and Henry Sojor, for congressman of the 3rd District.
For Board members, Degamo’s slate includes Rizaldy Gumba (NUP), Reynaldo Tuanda Jr. (NUP), and Napoleon Villegas (UNA) for the 1st District; Nevino Cardente (NUP), Dr. Nichol Elman (NUP), Carmelo Remollo (NUP), and Atty. Arturo Umbac (UNA) for the 2nd District; and Kit Marc Adanza, Telesforo Diao Jr., and Enrique Gonzalez, all NUP, for the 3rd District.
Showing support for the Degamo camp was former Rep. Herminio Teves of the 3rd District, patriarch of the Teves clan and who was, in his time, the oldest member of the House of Representatives until 2007.
An independent candidate, Virgilio Barba, also filed his CoC for BM of the 2nd District; while Ryan Ybañez, independent, is running for congressman of the 2nd District.
As of Thursday, 37 political aspirants have filed their CoCs for governor, vice governor, congressional representatives, and SP members.
Meanwhile, it’s a four-cornered mayoral fight in Dumaguete, while three are vying for vice mayor.
It will be Vice Mayor Woodrow Maquiling Sr., former mayor Felipe “Ipe” Antonio Remollo, Quirino Ramirez and Dindo Generoso for the mayoralty race in Dumaguete, while the vice mayoralty race will be contested by Councilor Franklin Esmena III, Councilor Antonio “Tony” Remollo, who backed out of the mayoralty race to give way to the former mayor, who is his cousin. The third candidate is Nelson Awid Layague (IND).
Councilor Remollo said it is a reality in the political arena that if both of them aspire for the same position, their chances of winning is nil, compared to the solid votes for Maquiling.
He said the lineup for councilors, mostly lawyers, of the “IT (Ipe/Tony) Team” includes Councilor Manny Arbon, former vice mayor Alan Cordova, former councilor Joe Kenneth Arbas, Michael Bandal, former SK Federation president Karissa Faye Tolentino, and Councilor Lilani Ramon.
Two barangay captains and two more from other sectors are being finalized to join their slate.
Remollo said they are working on an NUP-LP coalition with Gov. Roel Degamo of the National Unity Party because former Rep. Jocelyn Limkaichong had earlier said her choice is Rep. George Arnaiz of the Nationalist People’s Coalition.
He said an LP-NPC coalition will not work because his rival, Esmena, is an NPC member while he is an LP.
Meanwhile, three radio block-timers in Dumaguete and one anchorman of a local radio program are eyeing various posts in the 2016 elections.
Jun Maata and Dindo Generoso of “Konsensiya sa Probinsiya”, Johnny Cahilog of “Kandos”, and Anthony Maginsay of “Kasandigan Mo” program have signified their intention to run for public office.
Cahilog has already filed his certificate of candidacy for mayor of Bacong Monday, while Maata, who is reportedly running for board member in the second district, Generoso for mayor of Dumaguete, and Maginsay for councilor of Amlan town. (PNA/JG and Judy Flores Partlow)
