NOT a single candidate has filed his or her certificate of candidacy (COC) on the second day of filing at the Cebu City Commission on Elections (Comelec), supposedly one of the busiest election offices in the region.

Not even an independent candidate has expressed an interest to run in next year’s midterm elections, said lawyer Marchel Sarno, north district election officer.

However, Sarno believes they will start pouring in next week.

With the absence of nuisance candidates, voters can focus on the candidates of the two major parties in the city, he said.

“It will most likely be a contest between candidates of BOPK and Barug PDP-Laban,” Sarno said in Cebuano.

Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella, standard-bearer of Barug PDP-Laban, said he and his allies will file their COCs on Oct. 17, or the last day of filing.

Labella will be running for mayor with former mayor Michael Rama as his runningmate.

They will be up against the BOPK tandem of incumbent Mayor Tomas Osmeña and City Councilor Mary Ann de los Santos.

Actor Richard Yap and City Councilor Joy Pesquera will run for a congressional seat in the north district and south district, respectively, under the Barug PDP-Laban banner.

They will be up against BOPK incumbents Rep. Raul del Mar and Rodrigo Abellanosa of the north district and south district, respectively. PAC