Lozano withdraws candidacy for senator

Oliver Lozano. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Lawyer and Marcos loyalist Oliver Lozano on Wednesday withdrew his candidacy for senator in next year’s mid-term elections, saying he did not want his senatorial bid to be in conflict with that of Senator Ferdidand “Bongbong” Marcos.

Lozano, in his letter of withdrawal which he personally sent to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) main office in Intramuros, Manila, told the poll body that his candidacy was “untenable” as the incumbent Senator Marcos was now in coalition with the Nacionalista Party (NP). Lozana would have run as a senatorial candidate of the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL), which had been described as supportive of then President Ferdinand Marcos.

“I realize that running as KBL senatorial candidate renders his position and mine untenable,” Lozano said in the letter.

“For that reason, I hereby withdraw, at my sole initiative, my CoC in order not to stain the integrity of Senator Marcos, and instead, preserve it above suspicion.

Lozano was one of 27 senatorial candidates whose candidacies were given “due course” by the Comelec.

Lozano said that he would continue to push for his advocacies as an ordinary citizen.

Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr., for his part, said that he welcomed and respected Lozano’s decision.

“I’d like to thank him for lessening the number of candidates in next year’s polls,” Brillantes said.

Brillantes added that the hearing for the 57 other senatorial hopefuls to prove that they were not nuisance candidates would push through on Thursday and Friday.

The poll body also gave the said senatorial candidates another chance to prove that they were not nuisance candidates and must be allowed to join next year’s electoral race.