Rep. Mercado, Maasin City officials file CoCs
MAASIN CITY— Incumbent City officials here led by Mayor Maloney Samaco trooped to the office of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Saturday morning (Nov. 28) to personally submit their certificates of candidacies (CoCs) and thus be officially recognized as candidates seeking re-election for the May 10, 2010 synchronized and computerized local and national elections.
Out of the 10 members of the city council, all eight of them were up for re-election, including Vice-Mayor Effie Abiera Sabandal, and the new entrant is lawyer Romeo Geniston, previously connected with the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) but lately was on private practice.
The tenth slot was still left open due to party considerations — Samaco’s complete slate is under Lakas-Kampi-CMD party — and this will be known only until the last day of filing, and on the actual filing itself, on Tuesday, December 1.
After hearing Mass at the Cathedral here, the COC-filing-bound officials, sporting red shirts punctuated by a white color near the neck, walked straight to the City Comelec office, which is just about a little over a hundred meters from the church, to hand-in their papers to a waiting City Election Officer Lawrence Gelsano.
They were accompanied by partymates Gov. Damian Mercado and his brother, Cong. Roger Mercado, their immediate families, and several barangay officials and close allies. They reached the Comelec office around 8:15 in the morning.
Having done some brief procedural matters and much picture-taking, the entourage proceeded to the provincial Comelec office, this time for Cong. Roger Mercado to file his certificate of candidacy for the same lone congressional office.
Gov. Damian Mercado, along with Lakas’ complete slate of provincial officials will file their respective COCs on deadline, Tuesday, December 1, yet, it was learned.
The eight incumbent city officials who were due for re-election included Nestor Sy, Antonio Cardoza, Atty. Cromwell Gerong, Atty. Marga Bantug, Alejandro Roxas, Vivencio Costillas, and Rene Hatayna.
The other two councilors, Conrado Galeon and Essie Espina Garvez, were already on their last term.
Meanwhile, City Comelec records showed two other candidates for councilor, running as independents, had submitted their certificates of candidacy last November 24. They were Ramil Laraga, from Barangay Sto. Nino, and Ponciano Panilawon, from barangay Mambajao this city.
At the provincial Comelec, an independent candidate for provincial board had registered in the person of Gaspar Tagalo, a one-time OIC Governor in the 1980s following the EDSA revolution. (Bong Pedalino)
Read More on Leyte Samar Daily Express
- Filing of certificates of candidacy officially begins today – Comelec
- No substitution of candidates after Dec. 14, 2009 deadline, Comelec rules
- 45 candidates file CoCs in Southern Leyte; reelectionist Maasin vice mayor running unopposed
- Lawyer Raymond Apita files CoC for congressman of Eastern Samar
- Comelec : No extension of voters registration
