FORMER senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on Wednesday, October 6, 2021, filed his certificate of candidacy (COC) to officially jumpstart his bid to become the president of the Philippines, a post occupied by his father who ruled as a dictator for 21 years.
Speaking to reporters after filing his COC at the Sofitel Harbor Garden Tent in Pasay City, Marcos declared readiness to have a possible "rematch" with Vice President Leni Robredo, who edged him back in the 2016 elections.
Robredo has yet to decide whether she will run for president. She is set to make an announcement on Thursday, October 7.
"I don’t have any fight with VP Leni. I am running for president, I am not fighting against anyone. Senator Ping (Lacson) is filing as we speak. So, it’s not going to be that kind of election. There are many of us," said Marcos.
"I would not file my COC if I was not ready to campaign, if I was not ready to answer all your questions. I am ready to answer your questions and I am ready to campaign," he added.
To note, Marcos still has a pending electoral protest case filed against Robredo stemming from the 2016 vice presidential race.
Asked if he is prepared to drop his protest case against Robredo now that he is running for president, he did not provide a direct answer.
"The protest becomes moot after the elections, when you have won your position and you have taken your oath," he said.
Running under the banner of the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP), Marcos admitted that they are still in search for a vice presidential running mate.
This, he related, was after their plans to adopt President Rodrigo Duterte was overtaken by the latter's decision to withdraw and give way to his long-time aide Senator Christopher Go.
"The original plan was for us to adopt PRRD (Duterte) for our VP candidate. But because of the recent developments, our plans changed," said Marcos.
"We are still doing consultation with our allies and partymates on what should we do now," he added.
As for his senatorial lineup, he said it is not yet certain if they can compete all 12 seats.
"At the very least, probably, we will have seven or eight or nine candidates," said Marcos.
Meanwhile, he said they will be closely monitoring the COC filing period before deciding if they will file disqualification cases against fellow presidential aspirants carrying the Marcos surname, namely independent bets Tiburcio Marcos and Maria Aurora Marcos.
"We will just have to see the status of all the names of people that filed for all positions then decide on that... We will have to see if the Comelec will determine if they are nuisance candidates or if they are true candidates for the upcoming elections," said Marcos. (HDT / SunStar Philippines)