MANILA, Philippines—Four candidates have filed their certificates of candidacy (COCs) for the vacant lone congressional seat in Batanes ahead of the special elections on Nov. 28.
Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairperson George Erwin Garcia announced on Oct. 15 that two candidates had filed their COCs. The filing period ran from Oct. 14 to Oct. 16.
Luis Andres Abad, son of former Budget Secretary and Batanes congressman Florencio Abad and the late former lawmaker Henedina Razon-Abad, was the first to file his COC.
READ: Luis Andres Abad first to file COC for Batanes’ special polls
Abad’s candidacy is backed by the Liberal Party, which his late mother, Henedina Razon-Abad, belonged to.
She served as deputy speaker during the 16th Congress and chaired the House committee on government reorganization, as well as serving as vice chairperson of the House committee on rural development.
Retired government employee John Gato was the second candidate to file his COC on Oct. 15.
Garcia announced two more candidates, retired soldier Edward Ike De Sagon and former Batanes governor Marilou Cayco, filed their COC on Friday, Oct. 16, the final day of the filing period.
The special elections will determine the representative for Batanes’ lone congressional district following the death of Rep. Ciriaco Gato Jr. last month.
READ: Comelec to hold Batanes special election after lawmaker’s passing
Gato, 66, died of cardiac arrest on Sept. 21. He first won the congressional seat in 2019 and was reelected in 2022 and 2025.
The Batanes special elections will be the third special polls for a congressional district this year.
The first was held on March 14 for Antipolo City’s second legislative district following the death of Rep. Romeo Acop. His son, Philip Conrad Acop, won the election.
The second was held on Aug. 29 for Dasmariñas City’s lone congressional district in Cavite. Former Dasmariñas City Mayor Jenny Austria-Barzaga won the seat vacated by her son, Francisco “Kiko” Barzaga Jr.
The younger Barzaga was expelled from the House of Representatives on June 2 over what lawmakers described as “disruptive” and “disorderly” behavior. /gsg
The post 4 bets vying in Batanes special election for vacant congressional seat appeared first on Inquirer.net.