A TOTAL of 184 senatorial aspirants have filed their certificate of candidacy (COC) during the eight-day COC filing for the 2025 midterm elections, the Commission on Elections said.
The number of filers for the senatorial bid for the 2025 midterm elections is higher than those who filed their COC over the last two elections -- the 2019 midterm elections where there were only 153 filers and in 2022 national and local elections where there were 176 filers.
Majority of those who intend to run for senator filed their COC on the last day of the filing, Tuesday, October 8, 2024.
Among the buzzer beater filers were TV host Willie Revillame, who was the third to the last to have filed his COC.
Should he be able to secure a Senate seat, Revillame, who will be running as an independent candidate, said he will “fight” for the poor Filipinos.
"Kung makikipag-away ako sa Senado, makikipag-away ako para sa mahirap," Revillame said.
(If I'm going to fight in the Senate, I'm going to fight for the poor.)
“Hindi lang batas ng batas, ang batas sa mahihirap ang kailangan natin,” he added.
(We need not only the law of the law, but the law of the poor.)
The first senatorial aspirant to lodge his candidacy during the last day of COC filing was Peter Joemel Advincula alias “Bikoy,” who earlier admitted to be the hooded man in the 2019 controversial “Ang Totoong Narcolist,” where he linked the Duterte family in illegal drugs amid President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war.
He later recanted his statements against the Dutertes and claimed that he was paid to make such pronouncements by the opposing Liberal Party.
In 2023, he was found guilty of perjury for implicating several members of the Liberal Party into the controversy.
Advincula said he would push for a centralized correction system in the country where there will be definite reform and therapeutic modality programs for persons deprived of liberty.
Former executive secretary of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., lawyer Vic Rodriguez, also filed his COC for senator.
Rodriguez resigned from his post in September 2022, announcing his “complete exit” from the administration for personal reasons.
Recently, he was seen joining the prayer rallies organized by the supporters of the Dutertes that are aimed to oppose the proposed Charter Change of the administration.
In a short interview after filing his COC, Rodriguez, who will run as an independent candidate, said he aims to lead the “true opposition” in the Senate.
“Ang direction namin, simula ng akin sinamahan nung kampayang huli, ay patungo sa good governance and to temper the greed and to temper corruption at nakita ko na kabaliktaran yung aking na witness. Napakarami counterflow at iba yung direction nila ayaw nila to temper the greed and to temper corruption,” he said.
(Our direction, since I joined the last campaign, is towards good governance and to temper the greed and to temper corruption, but I saw the opposite. There are so many counterflows and their direction is different, they don't want to temper the greed and to temper corruption.)
“I think the more important thing we should all oppose, whether elected or not, whether ordinary Filipino, ay yung talamak na corruption at talamak na corruption, at higit pang talamak na corruption (is the spread of corruption),” he added.
Seeking reelection for the 2025 midterm polls are:
Senator Francis Tolentino
Senator Maria Imelda “Imee” Marcos
Senator Manuel “Lito” Lapid
Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa
Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go
Senator Pilar Juana “Pia” Cayetano
Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr.
Those seeking a Senate comeback are:
Vicente “Tito” Sotto III
Panfilo “Ping” Lacson
Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan
Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao
Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino
Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan
For the Makabayan party, those who filed their COC for senator were Gabriela Women’s Party party-list Representative and House Assistant Minority Leader Arlene Brosas, Secretary General of the Filipino Nurses United Jocelyn Santos Andamo, former Bayan Muna party-list representative Teodoro “Teddy” Casiño, ACT Teachers party-list Representative and House Deputy Minority Leader France Castro, Eufemia Doringo, Piston National President Modesto “Mody” Floranda, former National Anti-Poverty Commission chairperson and Gabriela Partylist Representative Liza Maza Lidasan, Amirah Ali, and chairman of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas Danilo Ramos.
Other prominent personalities who also aim to secure a Senate seat are:
Action star Philip Salvador
Las Piñas Representative Camille Villar
Makati Mayor Abby Binay
Radio broadcaster Ben Tulfo
Former Department of Social Welfare and Development secretary Erwin Tulfo
Singer James Patrick “Jimmy” Bondoc
Military Medal of Valor Awardee Ariel Querubin
Former congressman and mayor of Narvacan, Ilocos Sur Chavit Singson
Former Interior secretary Benhur Abalos Jr.
Transport group Manibela national chairman Mar Valbuena
Sagip Party-list Representative Rodante Marcoleta
Former Commission on Audit commissioner Heidi Mendoza
Valenzuela 2nd District Representative Eric Martinez
Detained Kingdom of Jesus Christ leader Pastor Apollo Quiboloy
There will be 12 elective positions in the Senate.
Earlier, Comelec Chairman George Garcia said the complete list of those who filed their COC for senator will be published nationwide two weeks after the last day of the filing of the COC in order for the public to help the agency in cleansing the list.
“So that everybody will know who is their candidate, what is his qualification, whether he is qualified or not, is he really a citizen or not, is he of age, so that we will be able to file a petition before the Comelec to disqualify the candidate,” he said.
“Para wala naman po 'yung nakaligtas, hindi nakita kung sino, walang nag-file, nanalo, ayun may issue pala. Para mapigilan na natin 'yung bagay na 'yon, until a law is enacted as our stop-gap measure in the meantime,” he added.
Garcia also reminded those running for elective positions that the campaign period for national positions will start on February 11, 2025 while on March 28 for local positions.
He said those who will engage in premature campaigning will be charged. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)