By Leonardo Micua

BARELY less than two weeks from now and in the midst of the pandemic, prospective candidates will troop to the Comelec to file their respective certificates of candidacy to finally start off the election season.

In the national scene, Senator Ping Lacson and his running mate Senate President Tito Sotto were the earliest birds to declare their aspirations and have started testing the waters in their rounds of several provinces. President Duterte also accepted the endorsement of the Cusi wing of the PDP Laban to run for Vice President with his supposed running mate Senator Bong Go still reluctant to run for president.

Since PPRD is running for VP, his daughter Sara Duterte-Carpio had to sacrifice her ambition to run for President because they agreed that only one of them should run for a national position. Sara instead is seeking reelection as mayor of Davao City with his younger brother Vice Mayor Baste as her running mate.

But this will still change if PPRD decides to sacrifice his plan to run for VP and instead support Sara in her bid for the highest position of the land. Her Hukbong Pagbabago is still a regional party but other national parties can easily adopt her as their candidate.

At of this writing, Vice President Leni Robredo is still consulting other opposition leaders in her bid to put up a united front against Duterte but will most likely end up gunning for the presidency. She is being hailed as the best alternative to Duterte.

Just days ago, we read that the Pacquiao wing of the PDP Laban is now bent on joining the Reporma Party of Senator Lacson, which means the boxing icon is no longer interested to run for President but is only seeking his reelection for another term.

Our hunch is Mayor Isko Moreno of Manila  na run  as Leny’s VP and former Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano may fill in the shoes of God and run again with Duterte.

Senator Grace Poe may seek to run again for the presidency or the vice presidency this time but will have to be in tandem with another candidate. Ditto for Bongbong Marcos who is still courting Sara Duterte to run with him or may settle as Sara’s VP if the presidential daughter throws her hat into political ring, assuming her father decided to back out of  the  VP race.

Folks, everything is still fluid as of this writing and we can only see the final line up till October 8, the last day set by the Comelec for the filing of CoCs because I’m told there is no more period for substitution this time.

In the local scene, Governor Pogi Espino will run for reelection for his last term in office with Second District Board Member Nestor Reyes as his running mate. He will likely be challenged by Fifth District Congressman Ramon “Mon Mon” Guico III with incumbent Vice Governor Mark Lambino as his running mate.

In the Fourth District, Congressman Toff de Venecia will gun for a third term of office but may be opposed by CEZA Administrator and Secretary Raul Lambino or the latter’s daughter. If the Lambinos will not put up a fight, owing to a reported peace talk allegedly going on between his camp and of the De Venecias, Toff will still not run unopposed as Alvin Fernandez or his brothers Alfie may pick up the fight anew.

In Dagupan, incumbent Brian Lim will seek reelection and his vice mayor will be, as rumors say, will be a toss-up among his mother Celia, or any of the Guanzon brothers. Former Councilor and Pamana board director Redford Mejia will likely be a dark horse.

Belen, to this day, has kept her card close to her chest, obviously avoiding to be bashed this early by paid trolls. She is silently working out of the limelight to help the people in their hours of need. But her supporters are constantly egging her to return to her old post believing that Dagupan was in a better state when she was mayor. Of course, Belen and Vice Mayor Bryan Kua are an inseparable pair.

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The  biggest issue in the coming election is how the incumbents responded to the current pandemic. 

If they responded well to the needs of their people, they will be confident to face them to ask for their blessings for another term.  

People died in this pandemic while others lost their jobs, so they counted on their officials for help. The hour of reckoning is near for those who did nothing to alleviate their plight, the corrupt who did nothing but to enrich themselves and their respective businesses using people’s money. 

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