Poll body approves 5 more senatorial bets

FIVE more certificates of candidacy have been given due course by the Commission on Elections (Comelec), bringing the number of qualified individuals to run for the Senate post in next year's polls to 32.

Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes said the commission en banc has given due course to the COCs of lawyer Samson Alcantara of the Social Justice Society (SJS) party and independent candidate Ricardo Penson.

Alcantara is the founding chairman and president of Abakada Guro party-list and a law professor at the University of Santo Tomas-Law School, while Penson is the president and CEO of Ausphil Tollways Corporation.

Brillantes said the three others who were given due course by the Comelec are coming from the Democratic Party of the Philippines (DPP).

They are Greco Antonious Beda Belgica, son of former Manila City councilor Grepor "Butch" Belgica; Baldomero Falcone; and Christian Señeres, son of former Ambassador Roy Señeres.

"They're not nuisance candidates," said Brillantes, adding that the Comelec en banc is set to issue the official resolution on Monday.

To note, the Comelec had already agreed to give due course to the COCs for the position of senator to 27 aspirants, including the complete senatorial slates of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) and the Liberal Party (LP) coalition.

For the LP, given due course were Juan Edgardo Angara (Laban); Paolo Benigno Aquino IV, Maria Ana Consuelo Madrigal, and Ramon Magsaysay Jr. (Liberal Party); Alan Peter Cayetano, Antonio Trillanes IV, and Cynthia Villar (Nacionalista Party); Ana Theresia Hontiveros (Akbayan); and Aquilino Martin Pimentel III (PDP-Laban).

As for UNA, allowed to run were Maria Lourdes Nancy Binay, Margarita Cojuangco, Joseph Victor Ejercito, Richard Gordon, Gregorio Honasan, Ernesto Maceda, Maria Milagros Esperanza Magsaysay, and Juan Miguel Zubiri; and Juan Ponce Enrile Jr. (Nationalist People's Coalition).

The three common candidates of the two lineups, namely Lorna Legarda (Nationalist People's Coalition); and independents Francis Joseph Escudero, and Mary Grace Llamanzares were also allowed to run.

The Comelec also ruled to allow Ang Kapatiran's John Carlos De Los Reyes, Marwil Llasos, and Rizalito David; Makabayan's Teodoro Casiño; and independents Edward Hagedorn, and Ramon Montaño.

The 32 senatorial aspirants are vying for the 12 vacant seats at the Senate next year. (HDT/Sunnex)