Belmonte leads bets for Congress

MANILA, Philippines - Twenty-one candidates, led by Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., have so far filed their certificates of candidacy (COCs) for congressional seats since Monday, the Commission on Elections’ National Capital Region (Comelec-NCR) office said yesterday.

Records from the Comelec-NCR show that Belmonte filed his COC at past 3 p.m. yesterday in the poll body’s NCR office in Manila. Belmonte is running for a congressional seat in the fourth district of Quezon City under the Liberal Party (LP).

The Comelec-NCR said a relative, Jose Christopher Belmonte, also filed his COC for the sixth district of Quezon City, also under LP. He filed his COC on Monday.

Other candidates who filed their COCs on Monday were: Santiago Quial, for the lone district of Pasay, under the Nationalist People’s Coalition; Arnel Mendiola Cerafica, for the first district of Taguig, LP;  Josephine Noel-Lacson, NPC;  Domingo Tambuatco, first district of Muntinlupa, Ang Kapatiran Party;  Rosenda Ocampo, sixth district of Manila, LP; Imelda Rubiano, lone district  of Pasay, LP; Carlo Lopez, second district of Manila, LP-KKK; Amado Bagatsing, fifth district of Manila, Kabaka Party; Zenaida Angping, third district of Manila, NPC; and Ma. Theresa David-Bonoan, fourth district of Manila, National Unity Party.

Those who filed their bids yesterday were: Alfred Vargas, fifth district of Quezon City, LP; Bienvenido Abante, sixth district of Manila, United Nationalist Alliance; Neptali Gonzales II, lone district of Mandaluyong, LP; Luis Casimiro, lone district of Las Piñas, independent; Ernesto Dionisio, first district of Manila, UNA;  Henry Duenas Jr., second district of Taguig, NPC; Mary Ann Susano, fifth district of Quezon City, KKK; Pacifico Rosal, second district of Parañaque, indepedent; and Violera Buela, first district of Caloocan, LP.