Even employees and supporters who waited at the Capitol grounds could not believe it when they learned Governor Joseph C. Cua did not file his Certificate of Candidacy for vice governor as widely expected.
Members of the local media who were covering the filing of CoCs inside the office of Provincial Elections Supervisor Atty. Neil Canicula last Oct. 8, 2024 were left shaking their heads at the “surprise” development that was reportedly kept secret even from the wives of the Cua brothers and that of Virac Mayor Samuel V. Laynes.
The provincial chief executive, his brother and the mayor were already inside the office of Vice Gov. Peter C. Cua at the legislative building by the time former Catanduanes State University president Patrick Alain T. Azanza and Shirley A. Abundo filed their CoCs for governor and vice governor, respectively, as independent candidates.
After all the members of their Sangguniang Panlalawigan slate had filed their CoCs and just before the 4 PM deadline, the two Cuas and Laynes came out of the building to vigorous applause and proceeded to the OPES.
Upon receiving the governor’s submitted document, the receiving officer looked at it and told Cua that he seemed to have submitted the wrong CoC.
A Capitol aide had to remind the election officer to look at the first page, which was a notarized authorization signed by PBM Robert Fernandez permitting the governor to file West district PBM’s CoC for vice governor.
At the same time, it is claimed, the governor’s counsel was filing his CoC for mayor at the election office at the Virac municipal hall.
The governor’s bid to replace the departing Virac chief executive upended the race for the mayorship, which at the time was predicted to be an easy win for former Mayor Sinforoso Sarmiento Jr. over the “graduating” Vice Mayor Arlynn Arcilla.
As Congressman Eulogio Rodriguez’s political adviser and point man in the capital town, Sarmiento was widely believed to walk over the vice mayor, who is running as an independent.
The battle for mayor in the island’s capital town is expected to be close and would be determined by key strategies to be implemented during the campaign.
In a conversation with SP allies outside the Comelec office, Gov. Cua said he had to slide down to the mayorship of Virac to preserve the unity and strength of the Lakas-NPC alliance.
Prior to the decision, PBM Fernandez already had an accomplished CoC and a complete municipal slate for a run against Panganiban Mayor Cesar Robles, a member of the alliance between the Cuas and TGP Partylist Rep. Jose J. Teves Jr.
This threatened to divide the Panganiban vote by pitting two members of the party against each other, which could affect the respective bids of Vice Gov. Cua and Mayor Laynes for higher office.
The impasse was resolved in the morning of the CoC deadline after PBM Fernandez accepted the offer to run for vice governor, insiders claim.
The PBM’s withdrawal from the mayoral race, however, left his complete NPC slate for SB member to fend for themselves leaderless against an equally solid Lakas slate of Mayor Robles.
In Bato town earlier, another hard decision had to be made as Teves’ chief of staff, former PBM Lorenzo T. Templonuevo Jr., had serious interest to run for vice mayor, which would pit him against a Cua ally, Councilor Reynato Teston.
Templonuevo eventually gave way to his “kumpadre” and filed his CoC for PBM in the East district
In Gigmoto, another problem was created when Teves’ ally and former Mayor Armando Guerrero filed his CoC for mayor against newly minted Lakas member Mayor Vicente Tayam Jr., who had handily defeated the former in 2022 by more than 1,200 votes.
The TGP solon reportedly called the two aspirants to a meeting in the town to discuss Guerrero’s possible withdrawal from the race as his running would derail the alliance’s plan to garner the most votes for its provincial candidates.
In Baras, Mayor Jose Paolo P. Teves III was supposed to be running unopposed but a car with license number “8” allegedly went to the residence of former Mayor Jorge G. Tanael, who later filed his CoC under the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP).
Teves overwhelmed Tanael in the last elections by an insurmountable margin of 5,500 votes.
In San Andres, there was some drama in the days leading to the final slate of aspirants for the top two posts.
Mayor Leo Mendoza, who months earlier had floated the possibility of running as the number one nominee of the Sano partylist group, decided to file for reelection.
This and the urging of some concerned citizens, prompted former mayor Aly T. Romano (PFP) to challenge the incumbent.
The third would-be candidate, Vice Mayor Gregorio Salvador, had filed his CoC for mayor earlier after noting that Romano had yet to file his candidacy.
Two other councilors who entertained similar ideas of running for the top post – Rommel Antonio and Felix Romero Jr. – ended up as rivals for vice mayor, with the latter as Mendoza’s running mate.
Both are reportedly critics of alleged irregularities in the Mendoza administration.