Pasig City Vice Mayor Christian "Iyo" Caruncho–Bernardo and his running mate, Councilor Atty. Christian De Guzman, filed their Certificates of Candidacy (COC) for mayor and vice mayor, respectively, at the local office of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Pasig on Thursday, Oct. 7.
He will challenge incumbent Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto in the city's mayoralty race in the May 9, 2022 elections.
Bernardo said his goal as a candidate is to improve the quality of life of Pasigueños, especially amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
"I am not here to criticize the current administration. I just want to offer an option doon sa mga kababayan namin (to our countrymen),” Bernando said in an interview with ABS-CBN.
Bernando was a Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) official and councilor before he became the vice mayor of Pasig.
He vowed to remove the gap between rich and poor through various programs, including financial assistance.
"Marami pa ho sa atin din pong kabataan kahit po meron na pong binigay na tablet, most of them can't even go to school cause wala din pong ipangbabayad ng wifi at load, What I want is to give them assistance whether it be financial, whether it be coordinated through their parents. Also, I want to exhaust all efforts to help our kids, our senior citizens, our business sector ("There are still many of our youngsters, even though they have been given a tablet, most of them can't even go to school cause they don't have the means to pay for wifi and load, What I want is to give them assistance whether it be financial, or coordinated through their parents. Also, I want to exhaust all efforts to help our kids, our senior citizens, our business sector )," he added.
During his term as vice mayor, Bernando supported the senior citizens and persons with disabilities. He also supported sport development programs.
Bernando also launched the "Munting Hiling-Kabataan Edition" program in February to help the poor young people of Pasig City. (Lemuel Baruela)