‘Duterte boys’ Bong Go, Bato file COC for reelection

MANILA, Philippines —  Three allies of former president Rodrigo Duterte yesterday made their senatorial bid official by filing their certificate of candidacy (COC) for the May 2025 race.

Reelectionist Senators Bong Go and Ronald dela Rosa and actor Phillip Salvador filed their COCs at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) at the same time.

Sen. Robin Padilla accompanied the three aspirants to show his support for the candidacy of the three, who are all running under Duterte’s Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP).

Go said Duterte is endorsing their senatorial bid. He added that though he visits the former president frequently, they don’t usually discuss politics as the former president does not meddle with his political plans.

If reelected to office, Go said he would continue to pursue measures for promoting health and other pro-poor programs as he had done in his past terms.

Dela Rosa admitted that those from the Duterte camp are now considered “underdogs” in the coming elections, but he expressed confidence that this would also bring them to victory.

“When you’re at a disadvantage and beaten up, people will always gain your sympathy. It is deserved because we are Christians,” he said.

Dela Rosa said the International Criminal Court’s investigation into his alleged involvement in the bloody drug war during the Duterte presidency is just part of the “grand demolition job” against allies of the former president.

“We know what’s behind this investigation. But we leave it to the people. The people know very well what’s the real score. It’s up to the people to decide if it’s true or not,” he noted.

The former top cop said he would again pursue the death penalty for high-level drug traffickers and the mandatory ROTC if reelected as a senator.

Salvador said he is heeding the people’s call for him to run for the Senate.

If he wins, Salvador will push for the rehabilitation of drug addicts and other anti-crime measures.

Both Dela Rosa and Salvador claimed that the drug problem has again become prevalent with Dela Rosa saying drug addicts are back in the streets and drug lords are even running for public posts again.

Aside from the three, Padilla said PDP-Laban would be fielding nine other senatorial candidates, possibly including a member of the Duterte family to complete the party’s planned 12-person senatorial bets.

He added that PDP-Laban will be adopting other senatorial bets in their lineup and some of them would be coming from provinces.

Ong files COC

Dr. Liza Ong, wife of cancer-stricken Dr. Willie Ong who is seeking a Senate seat in next year’s elections, filed a COC for her husband yesterday.

Liza almost broke into tears as she announced that her husband, a health advocate, a cardiologist and social media influencer with more than 17 million Facebook followers, would join the senatorial race.

“I’m here, wife of Dr. Willie Ong, to represent him for senator... Thank you to all those who prayed for him,” Liza said in a short message at the Manila Hotel Tent, the Comelec’s designated venue for the filing of the COC for senators.

Gilbert Lauengco, legal counsel for the Ongs, accompanied Liza during the filing.

He said Willie is currently in Singapore for his treatment.

“Insofar as his health is concerned, he will be able to go back to the Philippines by end (of) November and he will be able to physically campaign by December,” Lauengco announced.

“He was told by his doctor that it (cancer) is treatable and he is undergoing treatment right now and he plans to go back (here),” Lauengco added.

He also said that Willie would only be able to engage in a limited physical campaign.

“This (campaign) is probably by December, January and February (next year) in areas that he needs to be physically present,” Lauengco said.

Willie’s style of campaigning will be like his campaign as vice president in 2022, where he focuses on social media with a bit of physical campaigning, according to Lauengco.

“Even if he is sick, he vows to fight and not just brood over his illness,” he said.

He also bared that Willie initially had no plans of running for senator and would just endorse a candidate.

“But since he had time to reflect, he decided that this (illness) is a sign and quoting Doc Willie, ‘You’ll never know what is going to happen; might as well go for what I believe is right,’” he revealed.

He noted that Willie’s will be a faith-based campaign.

“That is faith that people will understand, faith that God will give him enough time to finish this and faith that people will like him enough and support him enough to propel him to the Senate,” he said.

Abalos filing COC next week

Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos, who is running under the administration’s ticket, is expected to file his certificate of candidacy by next week.

“I’m bidding my goodbye by Monday. I’ll be resigning as the secretary of the DILG,” he said during an event in Pasig City.

He has served as Department of the Interior and Local Government chief since the start of the administration and served as President Marcos’ campaign manager during the 2022 elections.

He has also served as head of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and mayor of Mandaluyong City.

The outgoing DILG chief touted his accomplishments in the department, including the arrest of dismissed Bamban mayor Alice Guo and fugitive pastor Apollo Quiboloy.

He added that 220 local government units that have no fire stations and fire trucks are set to be served within this year.

Meanwhile, Jose Bunilla, a 78-year-old retired public servant from Sarangani, also filed his COC for senator and publicly declared that he is gay.

He served as a board member for over two decades. His advocacies include measures promoting the rights and welfare of the LGBT community where he belongs.

But even if elected to office, Bunilla said he would not support measures for same-sex marriage.

Though admitting he has a slim chance of winning the senatorial race, Bunilla maintained that he is not a nuisance bet.

After Bunilla, another senatorial aspirant Jaime Balmas also filed his COC for next year’s senatorial race.

Twelve senatorial aspirants for 2025 filed their COCs yesterday, bringing the total number of those who want to grab a seat in the Senate to 39.— Romina Cabrera, Rhodina Villanueva