Last day for COC filing: Foes rise vs Binay, Calixto

A lawyer has come forward to challenge the formidable Binays of Makati City while a businessman will try to unseat the mayor whose campaign he once helped finance in Pasay.

Former Barangay Palanan chair Renato Bondal, 51, filed his certificate of candidacy (COC) on Friday, offering himself as “an option for change” against Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay Jr., whose family has dominated City Hall for the last 26 years.

Bondal, who is being fielded by the Nacionalista Party, picked the incumbent vice mayor, Romulo “Kid” Pena of the Liberal Party, as his running mate.

“It was a call of the party to go against JunJun Binay. He was telling everyone that no one wants to run against him. The opposition felt it was our responsibility to give the people of Makati an option for change,” Bondal told reporters after filing his COC.

“Even if, as they say, we have no money, we will give them a good fight,” Bondal said.

In Pasay City, businessman Jorge del Rosario, who had admitted funding the previous political campaign of incumbent Mayor Tony Calixto, decided to go against his former ally.

Showing up with around 3,000 supporters when he filed his COC yesterday, Del Rosario—owner of Kawasaki Motors Corp. and part owner of National Panasonic, said he “decided to run because I want to see some changes in Pasay.”

He declined to answer when asked why he withdrew his support for Calixto. “Let’s keep it private,” Del Rosario said.

Del Rosario took his oath last month as member of the Nationalist People’s Coalition. He also made news recently when his son married Inah Revilla, a celebrity daughter of Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr.

In Muntinlupa City, the public market grew louder and more crowded than usual on Friday as Mayor Aldrin San Pedro formalized his reelection bid in the 2013 polls.

San Pedro, along with his running mate Vice Mayor Artemio Simundac and 16 councilors, trooped to the local Comelec office located within the market complex to file his COC under the United Nationalist Alliance.

San Pedro will be facing opposition from former mayor Jaime Fresnedi, who filed his COC on Thursday along with businesswoman Gigi So as his running mate under the Liberal Party.

On Thursday, Taguig City Mayor Laarni “Lani” Cayetano sought a new mandate against another female challenger, Rebecca Carissa “Rica” Tiñga. (See related story on Page A19)

Her vice mayoral bet is Barangay Lower Bicutan Chair Ricardo Cruz.

Her ticket includes former councilor Gigi Valenzuela-de Mesa who is gunning for a House seat in the Taguig’s first district, and her brother-in-law, filmmaker Lino Cayetano, who is targeting the second district.