A HUMAN rights lawyer, a police general and several legislators will gun for the top seat at the Baguio City Hall.
Human rights lawyer Jose Mencio Molintas, retired police general Benjamin Magalong, incumbent Vice Mayor Edison Bilog and councilors Leandro Yangot, Edgar Avila and a comebacking Tony Boy Tabora filed their certificates of candidacy for mayor.
For the lone congressional seat, incumbent Representative Mark Go is being challenged by incumbent Mayor Mauricio Domogan, former solon Nick Aliping and former mayor Peter Rey Bautista.
In the race for vice-mayor, Councilors Peter Fianza, Elmer Datuin, ABC president Michael Lawana, Faustino Olwan and legal luminary Rene Cortes will vie for the position.
A test of wills as well as political power will be seen as Molintas heads opposition bets under the Liberal party coalition dubbed as Onjon Ti Bag-iw in tandem with Aliping and Cortes while Magalong is running solo under the Nationalist People’s Coalition.
Avila will be with the local coalition Timpuyog Ti Baguio and the United Nationalist Alliance with Domogan and Datuin while Bilog is running under the PDP Laban and Nationalista Party coalition with Go and Olowan.
Yangot filed his candidacy under the PFP with Lawana while Tabora is with the Lakas CMD together with Bautista, who are both seeking to adopt vice mayoralty candidates later on.
Candidates for Congress
The neophyte Go seeks to retain his spot in congress, banking on his stable track record while the seasoned Domogan wants another go at power to add another three-year term to his decades-long political career.
Bautista is ready for a political comeback after losing in previous elections while Aliping is hungry for redemption after falling from grace with the filing of an environmental case against him. The case is still being heard to this day.
The former politician turned newspaper publisher said that he intends to help with the transformation of the police. Bautista currently serves as chair of the advisory for the police.
Bautista also works with rural communities and the marginalized through the Jaime V. Ongpin Foundation Inc.
“But being the only Baguio born, I have the utmost chance in pushing for the city's charter. I may have the best interest and best chance to do so. The amendment of 9003 is also a priority together with the clean air act. Just those three will already entail a lot, but that is exactly my plan and just being reasonable and realizable. Can't promise the sun and the moon I'm way past that in my return to public office,” Bautista said.
For Magalong, he presents the freshest perspective after a stellar military career known as the voice of truth in the Mamasapano probe saying his resolve to go for public office is based on a conscience to serve banking on his mantra of transparency, accountability, ethics and integrity to solve three urgent problems in the city: garbage, peace and order and traffic.
Opposition bets
Molintas, standard bearer of the Liberals and recently tagged as terrorist by the Department of Justice, runs on a platform of “true democracy and unity“ amidst cultural and political differences.
He also offers solutions to the garbage problem with a creative, multi-pronged zero-waste solution and a people's forum to formalize the idea in bringing the government closer to the public and to make the people monitor projects.
Under the opposition are incumbent councilors Maylen Yaranon, Art Allad-iw, comebacking Richard Cariño and Popo Cosalan with hopefuls Rudy Paraan, Victor Jimenez, Mascarinas Antolen and Ronald Perez.
The Bilog slate is championing programs to provide a permanent solution on the garbage problem, environmental protection, traffic solution, education and market development.
With him are PDP Laban incumbent councilors Joel Alangsab and Elaine Sembrano with Zosimo Abratique, Pamela Angeli Carino, Thomas Dumalti, Ericson De Guzman Ferrer, John Gaerlan and Gerry Uy while Nationalista bets are Philian Allan Weyan, Ricardo Balangwis, Edgar Allan Beltran and Grace Mayos.
The Timpuyog slate handpicked Avila, who is banking on a platform addressing housing and land distribution which will aim to build affordable medium rise tenements / condo units for residents who do not have land and houses of their own with a segregation and reclassification of public lands no longer suitable for the purpose for which they were reserved for awarding to poor but qualified Baguio Residents as well as the recognition of Ancestral Land claims of legitimate indigenous peoples of Baguio City.
Avila also seeks to address the traffic problem, music and arts, health, environment, good governance and reform, education, women, youth, Persons with Disability (PWDs), peace and order, labor, tourism and energy.
Eyeing a seat in the council under the Timpuyog coalition are Benny Bomogao, Robert Ortega, Leah Farinas, Betty Lourdes Tabanda, Basilo Binay an, Villamor Bumanlag, Vladimir Cayabas, Ryan Dale Mangusan, Esteban Somngi, Connie Tongawan, Christian Villareal and Marvin Yang-ed.
Yangot’s slate is packed with new faces led by Robin Coteng, Mario Delos Reyes, Bernard Ellamil, Florentino Farinas, Marilou Gacad, Caesar Malicdan, Micheal Medina, Amy Mondero, Nicanor Nialla, Gueliro Sugano and Karminn Cheryl Yangot Dinne.
Philip Canuto, Arthur Anthony Dumaguila, Lalaine Estolas, Edilberto Gapuz, Marvin Hererra, Jan Henric Liquete and Gordon Monserrate, meanwhile, are all running as independent.
Also running for the local council are Lakas CMD candidate Aurora Alhambra, NPC bets Jonathan Vergara and Teodorico Tan, NUP candidate and former councilor Fred Bagbagen and CPD bet Guillermo Hernandez.
Joining the race for congress is Rama Rafael Wasan, while independent candidates for mayor are Benedicto Alhambra, Jeffrey Pinic and Labio Calingayan.