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72 Bets Vie for 23 Posts in Cebu Province in 2015 Polls
A total of 72 candidates are vying for 23 positions in Cebu province, the Commission on Elections (Comelec)-Cebu provincial office said.
Among them are six candidates for governor, three for vice governor, 45 for the 14 seats available at the Cebu Provincial Board and 18 for the seven House seats, including the newly created seventh district.
The six candidates for governor are Roliveth Cortes (independent), Hilario Davide III of the Liberal Party, Desiderio Estinozo (party not indicated), Winston Garcia of One Cebu, Nonito Magnanao (party not indicated), and Leandro Patalinghug (Kilusang Bagong Lipunan).
The candidates for vice governor are Agnes Magpale of LP, Juanito Montenegro (party not indicated) and Nerissa Soon-Ruiz of One Cebu.
Lawyer Winston Garcia, gubernatorial candidate of One Cebu, has 21 candidates, while reelectionist Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III has 20 candidates.
Cebu Provincial Election Officer Lionel Marco Castillano said the filing of the certificates of candidacy (COCs) ended on Oct. 16, but political parties are allowed to substitute their candidates until Dec. 10, citing provisions of the Omnibus Election Code or Batas Pambansa 881.
It’s not unusual for an unknown candidate to file a COC only to be replaced later by a stronger candidate, he said.
This would explain why some unknown persons from a political party have filed their COCs, he said.
Castillano said the candidates who filed their COCs may not be the party’s final official candidates and may later be replaced by other candidates since this is allowed by the law.
A replacement candidate may file a COC not later than Dec. 10, or five months before the May 2016 elections, according to Comelec Resolution 9984.
The substitute for a candidate who dies or is disqualified by final judgment may file a COC up to mid-day of Election Day, “provided that the substitute and the substituted have the same surnames,” according to Section 19 of Comelec Resolution 9984. (PNA) SCS/EB/SSC
