Day One: 22 running for president

MANILA, Philippines - Twenty-two presidential wannabes of various social and political shades – including the country’s second highest politician and a flag-burning “pastor” and lawyer – trooped to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) main office in Intramuros yesterday to file their certificates of candidacy for president.

Only three aspirants for vice president and 16 for senator have so far filed their COCs as of yesterday afternoon.

The first day of the week-long filing of COCs was off to a good start but “calibrations” need to be done on some procedures, Comelec officials said.

All candidates running for national and local positions in next year’s polls have until 5 p.m Friday to file their COCs.

Of all the candidates who showed up at the Comelec yesterday, only Vice President Jejomar Binay and his running mate, Sen. Gregorio Honasan, appear to have the political machinery and capacity to mount a national campaign.

After attending mass at the nearby San Agustin Church, Binay and Honasan arrived together at the Comelec along with their families and supporters minutes before the start of the filing of COCs.

The lone woman among the presidential aspirants was Hope Sel Kang who insisted she was qualified despite being under age because she was a cum laude graduate of UP with a degree in Home Economics.

She said her campaign slogan is “Dalisay na Daan (pure path).”

Aside from Binay, other presidential bets who filed their COCs yesterday were former Technical Education Skills and Development Authority (TESDA) chief Augusto Syjuco Jr. who arrived 10 minutes before the Comelec office opened its doors and was the first to file his COC, former Presidential Commission on Good Government chairman Camilo Sabio, Elly Pamatong, Ephraim Defino, David Alimorong, Ralf Masloff, Danilo Lihayhay, Adolfo Inductivo, Freddiesher Llamas, Ferdinand Pijao, Ramon Concepcion, Ferdinand Fortes, Eric Negapatan, Gerald Arcega, Leonardo Bula, Alejandro Ignacio, Arsenio Dimaya, Esmerldo Reyes, Arturo Reyes and Rizalito David.

Pamatong, declared a nuisance candidate in previous elections, calls himself a “Christian pastor with a Moro trademark.” He burned a flag of China outside the Comelec to dramatize his protest against China’s bullying.

Syjuco said he decided to run for president to stop certain groups from manipulating the results of the elections in favor of administration candidate Manuel Roxas II.

Syjuco said he is willing to work with other presidential candidates to stop Roxas from becoming the country’s next president.

“Deception has started. Mr. Roxas increased by eight points to No. 2 slot. There is no rhyme or reason for that to happen,” he told reporters. “This is the start of mental conditioning of our electorate that he is surging up so that at the finish line, he overtakes other presidential candidates.”

Sabio also filed his COC for president, saying he wants to continue serving the public.

Sabio described himself as a “PWD” or person with disability due to a stroke that affected his motor skills.

Sen. Grace Poe’s critic Lito David is also running for president under the Ang Kapatiran Party with Bert Alba as his running mate.

David said that he intends to apply the Catholic faith in governance when he wins in the presidential race.

Ignacio was the only candidate who had the chance to meet and shake hands with Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista when he filed his COC. He even exchanged small talk with the chairman.

According to Ignacio, he intends to save millions of Filipinos from hunger while Bula said he opted to run for president this time after he was disqualified from participating in the Senate race in 2013.

Ignacio, however, was escorted out of the Comelec building after he turned hysterical when being interviewed.

He expressed disappointment over reports of graft and corruption in the government.

Aside from Honasan, the other aspiring vice presidents who filed their COCs were Myrna Mamon and Albert Alba.

Among the those who filed their COCs for senators were Panfilo Lacson, Angel Redoble, Daniel Magtira, Victoriano Inte, Ricky Bacolod, Rafael Labindao, Neri Colmernares, Armando Cortez, Jose Kwe, Elmar Santarin, Ramon Osano, John Odo’nnell Petalcorin, Eduardo dela Peña, Melchor Chavez, Roberto Antonio Marin and Alexander Bautista.

Many of them had also filed COCs in past elections, but were declared nuisance and de-listed by the Comelec from the roster of candidates.

Good start

Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said yesterday’s procedures went on generally smoothly.

Graphics by Eugene Bacasmas

“It’s still too early to say but the filing of COC, specifically, is okay. There are some calibrations that we need to do on the procedures. This is the first day and we have seen that the plans need fine-tuning,” he said.

The Comelec, however, was not able to implement the three-companion limit per candidate as many of the candidates came with their families and friends.

“They brought with them their family and we understand the connection so that’s it, we relaxed (the policy),” he added.

But unlike in previous COC filing, this year’s event seems less simple.

Several female students were seen serving as usherettes while LCD televisions were installed flashing images of candidates filing their COCs.

The Comelec has designated a separate area where the candidates can file their COCs and another area, complete with platforms, new stainless podium and backdrop, where the media can interview them.

A melee erupted when the media interviewed some candidates in the hallway, causing Jimenez and even chairman Bautista to blow their top.

For his part, Bautista gave assurance that the changes in the setup were intended to make the activity more comfortable for the candidates, their families and supporters and even for the media.

The Comelec also took the opportunity to promote the agency election hymn, logo, hashtag and MTV for next year’s elections.

Fiesta atmosphere

Banners, placards, drums and chants of supporters gave a “fiesta” atmosphere to the first day of filing of COCs.

Wearing the colors of their candidates, crowds waited outside the Palacio del Gobernador for their favored bets.

Bautista said that he does not see any problem with a fiesta atmosphere outside the building. “It is okay. We like the fiesta-type, we just want the process to be orderly, for as long as there would be no trouble and all of us are safe. There are regulations that have to be followed,” he said.

Members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) secured the area.

Atienza, who was with Binay’s group, denied he would be running for senator. “I prayed over it and I decided that it would be better if I run for re-election in Congress because in the Senate I would be very busy to survive… It is not easy to get elected as senator, you need a lot of money to run, you need a lot of resources,” he said.

Lacson quietly came to the Comelec main office in the morning to file his COC.

Lacson said he would like to be re-elected as a senator and would be running as an independent.

Just before noon, Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares showed up with former congressmen Satur Ocampo and Teddy Casiño. Also with him were actress Angel Locsin and activist Juana Change.

“This is a new battle for us… I would not promise anything except to continue what I have been doing in Congress… This is public service, and would not be used for business,” he added.

An aspiring politician whose application for COC was rejected provided a comic sideshow outside the Comelec office.

Esmer Reyes, who said he hails from Pampanga and is “62 years and 10 days old,” told reporters his COC application was not accepted because it was not notarized. He identified himself as a salesman and a senior citizen. – With Evelyn Macairan