Tiñga’s daughter to run against Mayor Cayetano in Taguig

Taguig Mayor Laarni Cayetano. Photo from https://www.congress.gov.ph

MANILA, Philippines — The mayoral race in Taguig City will be a fight mainly between two young women: daughter of a former Supreme Court associate justice and the incumbent city mayor and wife of a senator.

Rebecca Carissa Tiñga, 30, youngest child of Dante Tiñga and former councilor was among the early birds on Monday when the Commission on Elections opened its table for the filing of the certificates of candidacy (COC).

Tiñga formalized her intention to run for mayor against Taguig Mayor Laarni Cayetano,  also aged 30, who beat her father in the 2010 elections.

Cayetano, a former congresswoman of Taguig and Pateros district, was said to be the first youngest female official to hold office.

Accompanied by her running-mate, Paolo Papa and 16 other candidates running for city councilor posts, Tiñga came at the Comelec office in Taguig City around 10 a.m., earlier than what reporters were told.  Paolo Papa is the son of former Taguig mayor Ricardo Papa, who used to be the rival of Tinga’s father.

“This is the first in Taguig’s history… when former political rivals start to work together,” Tiñga told the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Cayetano, on the other hand, has yet to file her COC but her staff workers said she intended to go to the Comelec either on Thursday or Friday.

The Tiñgas and Cayetanos had been exchanging barbs since the 2010 elections with a petition for recount of votes still pending at the Commission on Elections.

“The good thing is I’m the only Tiñga running,” she said, taking a swipe at the Cayetanos who hold at least three positions in government.

She noted that her brother Taguig Rep. Freddie Tiñga had already dropped his plans to seek reelection for personal reasons.

In Pasay City, a drum-and-bugle band and the people’s chanting heralded incumbent mayor of Pasay Antonino Calixto’s filing of his COC at the local Comelec office around 9 a.m. on Monday. His supporters, mostly wearing green shirts, and city hall employees crowded the city hall grounds.

Immediately after, former Pasay mayor Peewee Trinidad arrived at the Comelec office on board a white van with his supporters in orange rallying behind him.

Calixto is running under the Liberal Party while Trinidad is with the Nacionalista Party.

All was quiet, however, at the local office of the Commission on Elections in Makati on Monday,  election officer Allan Sindo said.

Sources said Makati Mayor Junjun Binay, son of Vice President Jejomar Binay, would file his COC on Wednesday and might run unopposed. His running mate for vice mayor is Makati’s longtime city administrator Marjorie de Veyra.