The opposition group, “Asenso para sa Buas-damlag sang Bacolodnon-Magbinuligay Kita sa Kauswagan” (ABB-MKK), led by former Bacolod City mayor Monico Puentevella, who will run for congressman, bared its line-up as they filed their certificates of candidacy (COC) at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) office Tuesday, October 16,
Included in Puentevella’s slate were former councilor Jocelle Batapa-Sigue, who will run for mayor and former vice mayor Jude Thaddeus Sayson, who will seek the vice mayoral post.
Their candidates for councilors include incumbent Councilors Wilson Gamboa Jr. and Claudio Puentevella, former councilor Homer Bais, Edwin Balajadia, Butch Ebreo, mediaman Rommel Jamero, Bernabe Sibug, Rico Villafuerte, village chieftain of Barangay 40 Elmer Villanueva, Barangay Sum-ag Sangguniang Kabataan chairman Jason Villarosa, and Bobby Montelibano.
Before the COC filing, members of ABB-MKK attended a mass at the San Sebastian Cathedral at 7 a.m. and marched towards the Negros Press Club for a press conference then to the Comelec office, along with their supporters.
The ABB-MKK, which was also supported by Abang Lingkod party-list Representative Stephen Paduano, has 11 candidates for councilor.
“I am very proud to have these line-up. We are giving the people of Bacolod a real choice, our people will enjoy it because there’s an opponent. This is a battle of David and Goliath,” the former mayor said.
He said their line-up is composed of different political parties such as Liberal Party, Nacionalista Party, Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), Hugpong ng Pababago, Lakas-CMD, Partido Federal sa Pilipinas, among others.
“This is composed of veterans and new young faces. Bacolod must have a choice, we are a beautiful city so there should be a true election for the people of Bacolod,” he added.
Puentevella said they still have another one candidate for mayor that will file its COC today to complete its line-up.
Batapa-Sigue said it’s her own decision to run for mayor.
“The political exercises in the Philippines is always democratic so when the opposition group approached me that they don’t have a mayoralty candidate, I had to think for about a week. I consulted everybody and asking them if there’s still a reason to return in Bacolod and all of them responded that I need to come back,” she said.
She said she belongs to the ABB-MKK alliance, but she’s an independent candidate because she does not have a national political party.
Sayson said he is very excited with their line-up and they have a very capable mayoralty candidate.
“We were very happy when Batapa-Sigue decided to run for mayor because we believe we have a very good choice, a very good leader. She was very active during the time she was a councilor of Bacolod,” he said.
Sayson believes that Bacolod is ready for a new leadership, to have new ideas for the people of Bacolod.
“We are here to be the fiscalizer of the city, with Batapa-Sigue as mayor and me as vice mayor, we believe that we could push Bacolod forward in preparation for the next generation,” he said.
For his part, Paduano said he endorsed the ABB-MKK because they are all leaders.
He said the first candidate that he endorsed in Bacolod City is Sayson until the united opposition was formed.
“Batapa-Sigue is our official candidate for mayor and I’m endorsing the whole slate of ABB-MKK,” he added.
Aside from Batapa-Sigue, another candidate for mayor also filed his COC at Comelec Office Tuesday afternoon.
Mediaman Ray Carmona, a resident of Barangay Granada, filed his COC at about 3 p.m.
Carmona, a former member of MKK, said he filed his COC because this is a democratic country and he will present his platform to the people of Bacolod.
“It’s my battle cry to show to the people of Bacolod a candidate with a super political will and I am serious to serve the public,” he said.
He added that it’s his personal decision to run for mayor as an independent candidate and he will not support any political group in Bacolod.
In the previous elections, Carmona also ran for councilor, but he failed to make it.
Election registrar Mavil Majarucon-Sia said as of October 16, three candidates filed for congressman; three for mayor; two for vice mayor; and 25 for councilor.
The filing of COC will end Wednesday, October 16, and there will be no extension.