Goma announces bid for city mayor

ORMOC CITY, Philippines – Actor Richard Gomez, husband and chief of staff of Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez (4th district, Leyte), is running for mayor of Ormoc City in the 2013 elections.

Gomez announced this to a gathering of around 300 core leaders from the city’s 110 barangays at the Badminton City in Brgy. Linao. He told the village leaders that it is now all systems go and that he is well prepared to take on the Codillas. Definitely on October 1, he would be filing his certificate of candidacy, he said.

With him were former congresswoman Vicky Locsin who came in behalf of his son Leo Carmelo “Toto Leo” Locsin Jr., who was said to be running under Gomez’s ticket. She said Toto Leo was in Manila to attend his son’s first communion rites.

Also with Gomez were City Councilor Rolando Villasencio, Lucy’s brother-in-law Vince Rama, her political affairs officer Lito Cotiangco and other potential candidates for councilor: Emma Fragata, Raquel Kaluza and Erlinda Sacay. 

Gomez, however, did not announce yet who will be his vice mayoralty bet and the final slate for councilor. A source said a survey would be commissioned to select on who would be best and acceptable people for vice mayor and councilors in his ticket.

Gomez announcement for a mayoralty bid came after a professional survey team submitted the results of a survey for the mayoralty post.

The survey showed Gomez leading by an average of 65 percent over former mayor and congressman Eufrocino “Dodong” Codilla Sr. who posted an average of 21.6 percent and son, Edward “Ondo” Codilla who got 8.5 percent, and former Liberal Party mayoralty bet Marcos “Macoy” Larrazabal who only got 4.3 percent.

Locsin, a member of the prominent Larrazabal clan here, debunked claims that her son Toto Leo would be the runningmate of Macoy who reportedly made his intention known to run for mayor again in 2013, which would threaten to split and weaken the opposition once more like what a third ticket did in 2010.

Locsin said that if ever Toto Leo runs for office, he would be in Gomez’s ticket. —(FREEMAN)