New faces aim for congress seats, Bizman of Carigara for the 2nd district; retired justice of CA for the 3rd district

CEBU, Philippines - Political neophytes, although related in a way to a family of politicians, were among the early filers of certificates of candidacies at the Comelec-Leyte provincial office.

The first to file his COC was 43-year-old Henry Ong, a Manila-based businessman who is the brother of incumbent Mayor Eduardo Ong of Carigara town in Leyte.

Henry is running for congressman of the 2nd district against a political giant, 83-year-old incumbent Representative Sergio Apostol, husband of former representative Evie Apostol, who had filed her COC for a seat in the Provincial Board.

Henry admitted he will be contesting a veteran politician in Leyte, but he believed “there is always an end to everything and everyone has the right to serve the public.”

Another neophyte is the daughter of the Apostols, Anli, who will be vying for the mayoralty of Carigara against Henry’s brother, re-electionist Mayor Eduardo Ong, who himself defeated Evie in the 2013 elections.

For a seat in the 3rd congressional district of Leyte, 66-year-old Ching Veloso, a retired justice of the Court of Appeals yesterday filed his COC, under the National Unity Party.

Veloso is also a political newbie, but has no clear opponent yet, considering that incumbent Representative Andres Salvacion Jr. is now on his last term.

The filing of Veloso’s candidacy was followed by the Liberal Party stalwarts in Leyte: Re-electionists Governor Dominic Petilla and his cousin, Vice Governor Carlo Loreto.

But what caught the media by surprise was the filing of candidacy of 35-year-old bachelor Matt Torres, younger brother of Representative Lucy Torres Gomez (4th district, Leyte), who is running for a seat in the Provincial Board, representing the province’s 4th district. — (FREEMAN)