Vice mayor joins 3-way mayoral race in San Fernando, Pampanga

City of San Fernando Vice Mayor Jaime “Jimmy” Lazatin. (Photo from VM Jimmy Lazatin’s Facebook page)

MABALACAT CITY, Pampanga — City of San Fernando Vice Mayor Jaime “Jimmy” Lazatin formally joined the three-way mayoral race in the capital city by filing his certificate of candidacy (COC) before the Commission on Elections’ local office on Thursday, Oct. 7.

He is running under the Aksyon Demokratiko party with former councilor Noel Tulabut as his running mate.

Lazatin’s rivals include three-term Board Member Rosve Henson who filed his COC for mayor on Oct. 1. Henson is running under the Kapanalig at Kambilan Ding Memalen Pampanga (Kambilan), the ruling local political party founded by Vice Gov. Lilia Pineda and headed by Gov. Dennis Pineda.

Henson’s running mate is Councilor BJ Lagman.

The third mayoral candidate is San Fernando Association of Barangay Captains president Vilma Caluag whose running mate is Councilor Ariel Carreon.

In the 2019 elections, Caluag, a businesswoman, challenged then two-term Mayor Edwin Santiago (Kambilan) but lost.