With few surprises

TACLOBAN CITY-Same faces and names in the region are to run in next year’s elections as the Commission on Elections (Comelec) officially closed on Friday at 5 pm the submission of the certificates of candidacy (CoCs).
Here in the city, Mayor Alfred Romualdez will be seeking for a second term with his son, Raymund, 34, as his running-mate.
The Romualdez-Romualdez tandem filed their CoCs on Thursday (Oct.8) together with their entire slate for councilors headed by reelectionists Aimee Delgado-Grafil, Leo Bahin, Elvira Casal and Brian Granados.
His cousin, Rep.Ferdinand Martin Romualdez is also seeking for another term for Leyte’s first congressional district.
Outgoing Vice Mayor Jerry ‘Sambo’ Yaokasin, running as an independent, will be challenging Mayor Romualdez for the post.
Former Leyte governor Carlos Jericho Petilla will try to retake the post he once held for almost nine years until he was appointed as Energy Secretary during the time of Pres. Benigno ‘Noynoy’ Aquino in 2012.
Businessman and former Javier town mayor, Leonardo Javier is Petilla’s running-mate.
Incumbent Gov.Leopoldo Dominico Petilla, younger brother of the gubernatorial aspirant, is not running as he is serving on third and last term.
Their mother, Remedios, made a rather surprise move by  returning to politics after three years as she filed her CoC for mayor of Palo, a post now to be vacated by her daughter-in-law, Anne Petilla.
Aside from Rep. Romualdez, also seeking for another term for Congress in Leyte are Lolita Karen (2nd district), Vicente Veloso (3rd district) and Carl Cari for 5th district.
Rep. Lucy Torres Gomez of the fourth district will be seeking the mayoralty post in Ormoc City as her husband, Richard Gomez, swapping for her post.
In Biliran, Gov. Rogelio Espina will also seek for another fresh term as well as his younger brother, Gerardo ‘Gerryboy’Espina for the lone congressional district of the province.
Naval Mayor Gerard Roger Espina also filed his CoC seeking for another term. His younger sister, Gretchen, also filed her CoC for town councilor.
In Southern Leyte, Gov. Damian Mercado has also filed his CoC for governor with his brother, Roger Mercado, seeking for the congressional district for the province’s first district.
Meantime, Mayor Naccional Mercado is also running for mayor of Maasin City, gunning for his last term.
Incumbent Vice Gov. Christopher Yap has filed his CoC for the second congressional district of the province.
In Samar, Governor Michael Reynolds Tan swapped with his elder sister, Share Ann, as he will gun for the province’s second congressional district.
Sharee Ann will run for governor, a post she held for nine years.
Their sibling, James, will run for the first congressional district, which is currently held by Rep. Edgar Mary Sarmiento.
A cousin, Arnold, will run for vice governor who submitted the CoCs of the Tans at the provincial Comelec office in Catbalogan City.
Mayor Dexter Uy will be seeking for a second term as mayor of Catbalogan City.
In Calbayog City, sitting mayor Diego Rivera will be seeking for his own term in office as he filed his CoC.
The son of slain mayor Ronaldo Aquino, Julius Clarence, will be running for vice mayor in the city.
In Eastern Samar, Gov. Ben Evardone is also in the running in next year’s polls as he filed his CoC. Rep. Ma. Fe Abunda is also seeking for another term for the province’s lone congressional district.
Mayor Jose Ivan Dayan Agda has filed his CoC for a second term as Borongan City’s top elected official.
Meanwhile in Northern Samar, Gov. Edwin Ongchuan will be seeking for a second term in next year’s balloting with San Jose town Mayor Clarence Dato as his running-mate.
Incumbent Rep. Paul Daza will also be in the running for the province’s first congressional district with Laoang town Mayor Harris Ongchuan seeking the congressional seat for the province’ second congressional district.
Catarman Mayor Francisco Rosales is running for the vice mayorship as he is serving on his third and last term.
The Comelec in the region has earlier said that the filing of the CoCs have been orderly and smooth.
The country is to conduct the elections on May 9, 2022.

Granting amnesty to NPA members

TACLOBAN CITY- Providing amnesty to the members of the communist terror group, the New People’s Army (NPA), in the region is not a remote.
This after Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla revealed that he will bring the matter at the regional panel of the End Local Communist Armed Conflict (ELCAC).
The proposal to give amnesty to rebels was pushed by Fr. Edwin Perito, representing the religious sector of the Leyte peace and order council, as a way to encourage more NPAs to surrender and give up their armed struggle.
The priest said that one of the problems that they have received in convincing NPA members to surrender is when they brought up the cases filed against them.
“They are afraid to surrender because they are facing charges,” Perito said.
“Do we have a local amnesty to encourage them surrender?” Perito asked.
“We can discuss that matter with the ELCAC if we can suggest that,” Petilla replied.
“In ELCAC we have discussed many programs but we never talked about amnesty,” the governor added.
He stressed that those who surrenders are provided with livelihood and financial assistance under the enhanced comprehensive local integration program.
“Several of those who surrendered were given assistance under E-CLIP which does not cover relative to the cases filed against them,” Petilla said.
He added that aside from discussing the matter at the regional ELCAC level, this concern should also be brought to officials in the national level for them to decide.
Giving amnesty to rebel members is not part of the ELCAC program of the national government.
The program which aims to convince rebel members to return to the fold of law to start a new life in normal community mainly focuses on the “whole-of-nation approach” wherein government agencies and their partners provide government services to areas affected by insurgency problem.
A resolution filed at the House of Representatives has been filed calling to grant amnesty not only to the NPA members but to include the members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the Moro National Liberation Front, and the Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Mangagawa ng Pilipinas/ Revolutionary Proletarian Army/Alex Bonyacao Brigade.