Over 100 bets for 12 Senate seats

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File Photo

A TOTAL of 130 candidates, including old-timers and three former senators facing plunder charges, are hoping to win the 12 Senate seats that would be contested in the 2019 mid-term elections.

As of Wednesday noon, October 17, the last day of filing of certificates of candidacy (COC), 130 candidates including old-timers who want to stage a comeback in the Senate have filed their COCs for senator.

Old-timers Juan Ponce Enrile, Manuel Roxas II, Sergio Osmeña III, Jose Ejercito Jr. (Jinggoy Estrada) and Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. are among the senatorial candidates for 2019.

Enrile, Estrada and Revilla are facing plunder charges over their alleged involvement in the pork barrel scam. Enrile and Estrada are out on bail while Revilla is still detained.

Enrile

Enrile, the oldest at 94, is running under the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino.

He personally went to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) Wednesday to re-file his COC after his first one was found to contain several errors.

In his re-filed COC, Enrile filled up the space for political party which he had left blank in his first COC. He also changed his occupation to lawyer from businessman.

“I forgot that I was with PMP during the last elections when I became a senator... and so I came today. And also to disabuse the mind of the people that I’m physically decrepit to run for public office,” said Enrile.

His first COC was filed on his behalf by his lawyer Joseph Sagandoy on Tuesday afternoon.

Asked whether his advanced age of 94 years old would be a disadvantage, he simply brushed it off.

“I hope I will reach 110. But you know, in life, you cannot control your number of years on this planet. The control belongs to God. He can make it long, he can make it short. Who knows, I might outlive the others who are in the Senate today? I’m not saying that I’m immortal but only God knows,” said Enrile.

Enrile served as Senate president from 2008 to 2013, after which he served as Senate minority leader until 2016. He had served as senator since 2004.

Roxas

Roxas, a grandson of former President Manuel Roxas and a former No. 1 senator, came out of his retirement to file his COC Tuesday morning.

Roxas, 61, served as Trade secretary from 2000 to 2003 and as senator from 2004 to 2010. He shied away from politics after losing the 2016 presidential race to President Rodrigo Duterte.

He also lost the vice-presidential race in 2010 and served, after the one-year ban on appointing losing bets to government posts, as Transportation secretary and later as Interior and Local Government secretary under the Benigno Aquino administration.

He was the Liberal Party's standard bearer in the 2016 elections.

After filing his COC Tuesday, Roxas told reporters that he decided to come out of retirement after seeing the need to continue helping the people, who have been struggling to make ends meet.

“The government is a force for good. Government is a force for change. Government is a force for betterment. That is my philosophy, which I will stand for. That is also the reason why I am joining politics again, so that I can help in this endeavor,” said Roxas.

Osmeña

Another grandson of a former president, Osmeña, filed his COC to run as an independent to allow him to speak more freely regarding certain issues.

He said, however, that he was open to be adopted by political parties.

“I find it easier to react to issues if I’m independent rather than if I’m in a party. If you are in a party, you can get distracted by the party position. We don’t like that,” said Osmeña.

The Nationalist People’s Coalition, according to Osmeña, is one of the parties he is talking to.

Osmeña is the grandson of the late President Sergio Osmeña.

Like Enrile, he ended his term in the Senate last June 30, 2016.

Revilla, Estrada

Revilla, who is still under detention for plunder charges, filed his COC through his wife Bacoor Mayor Lani Mercado.

“After thorough discernment, consultation with families and friends and supporters, I have come to a decision to again run in the elections next year in order to be part of the government in finding solutions to the problems of the nation,” said Revilla in his prepared statement read by Mercado.

Asked whether they believe that the pork barrel scam would adversely affect his candidacy, Mercado said they believe that the forthcoming ruling of the Sandiganbayan would help clean his name.

She revealed that the court is already expected to rule on his case sometime in December.

“We are all praying as a family that the decision will be a favorable one,” said Mercado.

She said that under a worst-case scenario, the entire family is ready to campaign for the detained actor-politician.

Revilla is running under the Lakas CMD party.

Also running under the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino is Estrada.

He was accompanied by his parents, Manila Mayor and former President Joseph Ejercito Estrada and former senator Loi Ejercito, when he filed his COC on Tuesday.

The Comelec has stressed that there would be no extension for the filing of COCs.

In a tweet, Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said a total of 104 candidates filed their COCs for senator on the first four days: 27 on October 11; 10 on October 12; 26 on October 15; and 41 on October 16.

(From the reports of HDT/SunStar Philippines)

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