BEGINNING this week until May 9 next year, voters of Laguna will have over seven months to ponder and carefully evaluate the qualifications of all the candidates who were running for various national and local positions.
On the local front, there were few surprises as bets who previously sounded off their intentions to run made good on their words and indeed filed their certificates of candidacy from October 1 to 8 in their respective local Comelec offices.
Despite the noticeable lack of fanfare and boisterous supporters due to the Covid-19 pandemic, political analysts say this election will be as hotly-contested as all previous elections in the province.
Battle for Capitol
No longer in doubt was the candidacies of several personalities in Laguna province as reported by OpinYon Laguna last week.
Incumbent Governor Ramil Hernandez and 3rd District Representative Sol Aragones will battle for the province’s highest post, with Vice Governor Karen Agapay and Jericho Ejercito as their running mates, respectively.
The governor’s wife, Ruth Mariano Hernandez, is also seeking another term as congresswoman of the province’s second district. She is expected to be challenged by former Pagcor Chairman Efraim Genuino, who also ran against her in the 2019 elections.
In the third district, incumbent San Pablo City Mayor Loreto “Amben” Amante will compete with incumbent 3rd District Board Member Angelica Jones Alarva, while Jam Agarao and Antonio "Tony" Carolino will face off for the 4th district congressional seat.
Surprise alliance
In San Pedro City, Councilor Aaron Cataquiz, seen as the “anointed” successor of incumbent Mayor Lourdes Cataquiz, is confirmed to square off with Vice Mayor Art Mercado.
Councilor Raffy Campos and Divina “Ina” Olivarez, on the other hand, will compete for vice-mayor.
The surprise in San Pedro, however, was the team-up of the Cataquiz-Campos group with Laguna 1st District Board Member Ann Matibag, who filed her certificate of candidacy last Friday for the first representative of San Pedro City to Congress.
Slap in the face
Political analysts say this turn of events was a “slap in the face” of former Philippine International Trading Corporation (PITC) President Dave Almarinez, who also confirmed his intention to run as congressman of San Pedro City last week.
Almarinez was rumored to have courted the Cataquizes for a political alliance after moving to San Pedro City last year.
He resigned from his PITC post this month, ostensibly due to allegations of massive corruption in the procurement of medical materials under his watch.
Another term
Reelectionists, on the other hand, comprise most of the candidates in the cities of Biñan, Sta. Rosa, and Cabuyao.
The “Big Three” of Biñan City – Mayor Arman Dimaguila, Vice Mayor Gel Alonte, and Representative Len Alonte – filed their CoCs together for a third and final term in their respective positions last Friday.
Dimaguila, whose “proactive” response to the Covid-19 pandemic has won praise both inside and outside his city, will face off with Donna Yatco, who filed her CoC the previous day.
Meanwhile, Mario Sarmiento Peralta and Mike Yatco will be running for vice mayor and representative to Congress under Yatco’s ticket.
More bets
In Sta. Rosa City, current Mayor Arlene Arcillas will seek a fifth – and second consecutive – term as mayor, with her brother Arnold as her running mate.
Incumbent 1st District Congressman Dan Fernandez has also been confirmed as running for the first time for the city’s lone congressional district, which was created in 2019, while his son Danzel is gunning for a seat in the Provincial Board.
In Cabuyao City, incumbent Mayor Mel Gecolea submitted his certificate of candidacy (CoC) for mayor last Thursday, along with incumbent Vice Mayor Leif Opina, who will be his running mate.
Gecolea will be running for a third and final term as mayor, facing as his challenger Association of Barangay Captains (ABC) president Dennis "Denha" Hain.
Three-way race
In Calamba City, local politics is expected to heat up as the Chipecos find themselves facing not just one but two contenders for the city's highest post.
Joey Chipeco, who has been chosen to lead by the political family to lead its slate (incumbent Mayor Timmy Chipeco will run for congressman of the city's lone district) will face off with incumbent Vice Mayor Roseller "Ross" Rizal.
That Chipeco and Rizal will face off against each other in what was once an "uncontested" territory is not a surprise for many Calambeños.
E.R. Ejercito too
But what caught everybody off-guard was the decision of former Laguna Governor E. R. Ejercito to run for mayor of the city.
Ejercito, after all, was barred from running from public office after he was removed from his post by the Sandiganbayan in 2014 due to "overspending" in his 2013 election campaign.
The former governor has contested that decision, as evidenced by his 2016 run for governor where he lost to the incumbent Hernandez.
E. R.’s wife Girlie “Maita Sanchez” Ejercito, on the other hand, will run again for mayor of Pagsanjan, their traditional “balwarte,” against incumbent Mayor Peter Casius “Toto” Trinidad.
Battle lines drawn
Now that battle lines have been drawn, the people could only hope that whoever will emerge as winners will not only win for themselves and their friends, but more importantly for the benefit of the province.
After all, they will surely make lots of promises to uplift the living conditions of the people and lead their areas to progress and development during the campaign, and it is imperative that they must and should make good on those promises.