INCUMBENT First District Representative Paolo Duterte welcomed the challenge posed by a businessman who is running under the same position.
Businessman Jamal Ranon Kanan filed his certificate of candidacy (COC) for the city’s first congressional district Monday, October 4.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Kanan is a chief executive officer of a manpower agency.
Kanan told the media that he will be passing laws that would provide employment opportunities.
"Line of business ko is work. Kung may batas akong [ifa-file], unang-una sa trabaho, then sa training. 'Yan ang importante kasi kung trabaho, walang training tsaka education, wala rin (The laws that I would be filing would be on labor and training those in the workforce. Education and training are important for those in the workforce)," he told the media during his COC filing at the Commission on Elections (Comelec)-Davao City office inside Magsaysay Park.
He also said he is ready to have a debate against Duterte.
Duterte's camp, in a statement on Monday afternoon, said that “election gives the people the power to choose their leaders.”
“This is a democratic exercise,” he said in a text message.
The lawmaker's camp said it is not the first time that the congressman was challenged in an election.
In the 2019 elections, two other candidates were also seeking the First District congressional seat, namely, Susan Uyanguren and Rex Labis. Duterte won by a landslide.
On September 3, Duterte’s COC was filed by his younger brother, Davao City Vice Mayor Sebastian Duterte, since the congressman is still recuperating from Covid-19 at a hospital.
Duterte also previously served as vice mayor for two terms from 2013 until his resignation on December 25, 2017.