LEGAZPI CITY, Oct 16 (PIA) – Aspirants for provincial level positions in Albay have filed their Certificates of Candidacy (COCs) in their respective Commission on Elections (COMELEC) offices.
For city mayoral positions, former Tabaco mayor Krisel Lagman-Luistro along with her complete slate of candidates for councilors filed their COCs to lawyer Niel Canicula, Comelec Tabaco City election officer yesterday.
Lagman-Luistro is the daughter of former representative Edcel C. Lagman who is also running for congressman under the LPin the first district.
On the same day, incumbent Legazpi City Mayor Noel Rosal along with incumbent Vice Mayor Vitorio C. Roces and their 10-man slate for city councilors also filed their COCs to lawyer Jasmin Cecilia Bilarmino, Comelec Legazpi City election officer.
Rosal is on his second term and has held the mayoral post for 12 years with his wife Geraldine elected mayor as well for one term.
Others filers this week are incumbent Mayor Gerry Jaucian in Daraga, the son of incumbent Mayor Cesar Daep in Manito, Ding Baldo, the incumbent mayor's brother in Camalig and Dick Galicia in Rapu-Rapu.
Albay Governor Joey Sarte Salceda has filed Monday morning as representative of the second District of Albay under the Liberal Party.
Vice Governor Harold Imperial will be running in the same position under LP.
Rep. Al Francis Bichara, the incumbent congressman of second congressional district, is running for governor.
In the third district, incumbent congressman Fernando Gonzales will run for reelection against independent candidate Jaime Chua.
In the first district, former representative Edcel C. Lagman will be challenged by lawyer Ted Contactu of PDP-Laban.
Comelec Albay supervisor Attorney Romeo G. Serrano has earlier reiterated that this year’s closing time for filing is different from that of the previous elections wherein COCs could be filed up to midnight.
Serrano has advised the prospective candidates to prepare the necessary requirements in filing the COC like five copies of one-and-one-half photos taken during the last six months, five documentary stamps and five notarized accomplished COC forms.
He added that the Comelec has temporarily suspended satellite registration this week to concentrate on the filing of COCs. It will resume on Oct. 19 until the end of the month.
Withdrawal of candidacy should be submitted before Oct. 16 while substitution of candidates will be up to Dec. 10 and the candidate involved must have a political party.
The official start of election period is on Jan. 10 to June 8, 2016.
Albay, he said, has a total of 720,000 voters and the number may rise on the last day of the voters' registration on October 31. (MAL/SAA-PIA5/Albay)