Fathers and sons form rival tandems in Caloocan City, longtime friends part ways to vie for power in Antipolo, and a couple aim for House seats in Pasig and Valenzuela.
And then there’s the Manila-bound “Jeep ni Erap at Isko.”
Day Two of the five-day period for the filing of certificates of candidacy (COCs) once more showed how family and conjugal ties keep a stranglehold on Philippine politics starting from the local government.
After hearing Mass Tuesday morning with his orange-shirted supporters at San Roque Cathedral in Caloocan, outgoing 1st District Representative Oscar Malapitan filed his COC for city mayor at the local Commission on Elections (Comelec) office.
He was accompanied by son Dale Along Malapitan, who aims to take over his father’s House seat, along with the city council candidates under the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA).
The Malapitans are battling another father-and-son team over Caloocan’s top posts.
Outgoing Mayor Enrico “Recom” Echiverri is facing off with Dale for a House seat, and has fielded his son Ricojudge to be his successor who will try to keep the mayoralty away from the elder Malapitan.
Echiverri and his party mates are expected to file their COCs on Wednesday. A third force led by Vice Mayor Edgar Erice is expected to go to the Comelec office also this week.
‘Jeep ni Erap at Isko’
In Manila, former President Joseph “Erap” Estrada formalized his bid to unseat reelectionist Mayor Alfredo Lim.
Estrada and his running mate, Vice Mayor Isko Moreno, a former Lim ally, filed their COCs at the local Comelec office on Arroceros Street.
Estrada, Moreno and their candidates for councilor under UNA rode the “Jeep ni Erap” used in previous campaigns and the newer “Jeep ni Erap at Isko,” starting from the house Estrada acquired months earlier on Mangga Avenue, Sta. Mesa, to Liwasang Bonifacio where they were joined by more supporters. From there, the group walked to the Comelec office.
Speaking to reporters, Estrada acknowledged the impressive numbers he and Moreno—both former movie actors—had scored in a recent Social Weather Stations survey. “Of course, I have a strong vice mayor. We’re both strong, but he’s stronger.”
Twenty-four councilors will seek reelection in Manila under the UNA ticket, while Councilor Edward Tan will run as congressman for the second district. Ernesto Dionisio Sr. and Bienvenido Abante are seeking House seats in the city’s first and sixth districts, respectively
During the march to the Comelec, JV Ejercito Estrada, who is running for a Senate seat, was walking beside the older Estrada before his half-brother, Senator Jinggoy Estrada, joined in. JV was later seen falling behind.
Later in an interview, JV stressed that his relationship with Jinggoy was “better than before” and that “I am used to being on the sidelines and in the background. I don’t mind not being in the limelight because I’ve always been an operator. Sometimes I forget that I’m also a candidate.”
Estrada said he couldn’t say anything about Lim’s administration because “I can’t see anything good.”
He said his priorities in the event of victory include an “all-out war against lawlessness,” transparency in City Hall expenditures, women empowerment, and campaigns against HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis.
Parting ways in Antipolo
In Antipolo City, Mayor Nilo Leyble and Vice Mayor Susan Say, who ran under the same banner in 2010 elections, have parted ways for next year’s polls.
Leyble, who is seeking reelection, filed his COC with Barangay (village) San Jose Chair Ronaldo Leyva—a known friend of Say’s—as his running mate.
Leyble will be challenged for the mayoralty by outgoing Rizal Governor JunJun Ynares, who now has Say as his running mate.
“She (Say) was hurt when she found out that that (Leyva) was running against her. They were like brothers and sisters,” according to Say’s cousin Onack Beltran.
Beltran said Say and Leyva had not been in speaking terms because of the latter’s decision. “You can’t avoid that. They were friends for more than 10 years,” she explained.
“That was the kind of relationship they had. She thought that of all people, he would never part ways with her,” she explained.
In a statement, Leyva said that he had to “make the sacrifice for the good of Antipolo” and “I have (to do this) because this decision is for the city and I believe in Mayor Leyble’s good leadership.”
According to Beltran, the rift between Leyble and Say began when she refused to defect to the Liberal Party with him, citing her allegiance to former Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno.
In the 2010 elections, both Say and Leyble ran under the Lakas-Kampi-CMD party, of which Puno was a key official.
Ynares, who ran under the Nationalist People’s Coalition in 2010, then offered to take Say as his running mate in challenging Leyble, Beltran said. “So she accepted.”
Hubby awaits Shalani
Should Valenzuela Councilor Shalani Soledad-Romulo succeed in her bid for a House seat representing the city’s second district, one lawmaker in particular would be very happy to see her in Congress: her own husband.
“Of course, I’m excited about that prospect (of having his wife as a ‘House-mate’),” said reelectionist Pasig Rep. Roman Romulo.
“We remain at odds over certain things, but I guess that’s the beauty of it. It’s good that we get to talk all the time and learn things from other points of view,” Romulo told the Inquirer.
Shalani and Roman got married in January.
Romulo, who is gunning for his last term, said he will file his COC on Friday, the same day his wife is filing hers.
“We have our respective duties to our respective constituencies. We agreed before we got married that we are both in public service and we cannot give it up,” Romulo said.
“Surprisingly, between us husband and wife, there hasn’t been much of an adjustment for us. Maybe because we’re both in public service to start with, we seamlessly adjusted to married life,” he added.