Candidates of the local coalition of Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) and Lakas-Kampi CMD in La Union simultaneously filed their certificate of candidacies (COCs) yesterday at around 10 a.m. in the provincial and municipal offices of the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
La Union 1st district Rep. Victor Ortega, provincial chair of Lakas-Kampi CMD, will seek reelection while his younger brother Gov. Manuel Ortega, NPC chair, will aim for his second term but withheld the filing of his COCs until December 1.
“This is a lucky day for me. All days are lucky but this is a special one,” Rep. Ortega said when asked why they choose Nov. 28 as the date of filing their COCs together with coalition candidates in the nineteen municipalities and this city.
Aside from Rep. Ortega, those who filed their COCs before Atty. Joel Gines, provincial election supervisor, are former vice governor Aureo Nisce, Gov. Ortega’s running mate, and former Agoo Mayor Dr. Eufranio Eriguel, the coalition’s bet for congressional race in the second district.
Eriguel, NPC district chairman, was endorsed to the congressional position by ten of the eleven incumbent mayors in the district. His wife, Sandra, is seeking reelection as Agoo mayor.
Nisce, on the other hand, is eyeing to redeem his former position after taking three years rest from politics when he completed his third and final term in 2007.
He hoped to replace incumbent Vice Governor Martin de Guzman who will slide down to the mayoralty post in Bauang town, his former position before he was elected vice governor in 2007.
NPC and Lakas-Kampi CMD have five candidates each for provincial board members in the two districts of the province.
In this city, incumbent Mayor Pablo Ortega (Lakas-Kampi CMD) and incumbent Vice Mayor Pancrasio Nisce (NPC) led the group of twelve (6 NPC and 6 Lakas-Kampi CMD) candidates for city councilors.
As of press time, no other bets from other parties have filed their COCs at the Comelec’s provincial office.
Gines said the filing of COCs in the whole province went smoothly and no untoward incident has been reported. |
