A total of 271 aspirants for 121 elective positions in Catanduanes have filed their Certificates of Candidacy for the May 2025 midterm elections, with just 14 percent of them women.
The total is about 20 percent less than the 340 who ran in the 2022 national and local elections, the summary list of CoC files provided by the office of Provincial Elections Supervisor Atty. Neil Canicula showed.
The reduction is seen among those interested in provincial posts as well as those running for mayor, vice mayor and Sangguniang Bayan member.
Twenty-eight (28) are contesting the posts of governor, vice governor, and the eight slots at stake in Sangguniang Panlalawigan’s East and West districts, compared to the 32 who filed three years ago.
In the 11 towns, the election officers received a total of 243 CoCs, a drop of 21 percent from the 308 filed in 2022.
An average of 2.19 aspirants are running for each SB seat next year, compared to the 2.9 candidates who contested each slot in 2022.
With Panganiban having the same number of councilor aspirants at 21 and Viga seeing its total rise from 14 to 17, all the other towns saw a decrease in the SB candidates.
While Bagamanoc, Baras, Gigmoto, Pandan, San Andres and San Miguel registered reductions ranging from one to five CoCs received, the decline was stark in Virac (from 32 then to 15 now), Caramoran (35 to 18) and Bato (25 to 14).
The same data showed that there are 80 incumbents seeking reelection to their posts, including one congressman, five PBMs, eight mayors, seven vice mayors, and 58 councilors.
Only two of them are running unopposed: Panganiban Mayor Cesar Robles, who avoided a potentially costly reelection campaign with the decision of PBM Robert Fernandez to run for vice governor, and the “graduating” Viga Mayor Emeterio Tarin who will sit as vice mayor in 2025.
There are at least 13 sets of candidates who belong to the same family, including the Cua brothers – Governor Joseph who is running for Virac mayor, his son Chino who will seek an SB seat, and brother Peter who will try to keep the top Capitol post.
Cua brother-in-law and San Andres Mayor Leo Mendoza, in a possibly close reelection contest, will try to help his son, Leo Martin, become councilor.
Shirley Abundo wants to reclaim her old post as vice governor while her father, Abelardo Sr, is aiming to get the Viga mayorship back.
Former Cong. Hector Sanchez fielded his son Cedric for congressman, the same post being contested by PBM Jan Ferdinand Alberto, son of former Virac mayors Cito and Flerida.
Reelectionist Cong. Eulogio Rodriguez convinced his daughter Princess Vanessa to run against Bato Mayor Juan Rodulfo, who is aiming for his third straight term.
His brother, Atty. Oliver, has filed his bid for governor, while the latter’s son, incumbent Bato Councilor Francis Reagan Rodulfo, is up for reelection.
The lawyer’s next-door neighbor, ARDCI chief executive officer Victor Bernal, is backing the campaign of his son Joevic to win a seat at the Bato SB.
In Pandan, former Mayor Honesto Tabligan II has three close relatives among the CoC filers: his brother Florestine who aims to come back as councilor, 2022 SB topnotcher Jezreel delos Santos who wants the vice mayoral post, and contractor nephew Rynz delos Santos who desires to join his uncle in the council.
Unopposed Panganiban Mayor Cesar Robles will most likely concentrate on getting his brother Jose into the Sanggunian while retiring San Miguel Mayor Francisco Camano Jr.’s backing will be key in the victory of his son Ruel as local chief executive.
In the same landlocked town, among the 16 aspirants for SB seats is one Daniel Karlo Asanza, who is reportedly the son of contractor Nel Asanza who wants to take away the throne of Caramoran Mayor Glenda Aguilar.
Incumbent ex-officio PBM and SK provincial federation president Fred Benedict Gianan wants to win as regular PBM, with his uncle, former PBM Atty. Fredeswindo Gianan Jr., trying his hand at snagging a seat in the Virac municipal council this time.
Meanwhile, the number of women who filed their CoCs for various elective posts dropped by 14 percent from 53 in 2022 to just 39 this year.
Four, including one incumbent, are running for top executive posts while three are seeking the post of presiding officer of their respective legislative bodies.
Thirty-two (32) are going for SB seats in the following towns: Caramoran (5), San Andres (5), Panganiban (4), Bagamanoc (3), Baras (3), Gigmoto (3), Pandan (3), San Miguel (3), and Virac (2), with no female showing up to file CoCs for councilor in Viga town.
Of the 271 poll aspirants, 64 percent belong to three major political parties fielding candidates in Catanduanes (Lakas-CMD, Nationalist People’s Coalition and Partido Federal ng Pilipinas), with 15 targeting provincial posts, 32 running for mayor and vice mayor and 127 angling for SB seats.
On the other hand, 89 have filed their CoCs as independents, broken down as follows: 13 for provincial positions, 15 for mayor and vice mayor, and 61 for municipal council slots.