As he filed for reelection in the 2022 polls, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian could be considered in the senatorial slate of Senators Panfilo Lacson and Vicente Sotto III.
Gatchalian submitted on Friday, Oct. 8, his certificate of candidacy (COC) for senator after Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio decided to seek a third term as local chief executive.
The senator initially said that he wanted to run for vice president next year, but only if Duterte-Carpio will seek presidency and be his running mate. He is a member of the Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC), whose chairman Sotto, will be running for vice president with Lacson as president in 2022.
"I deem it best to continue my work in the Senate," Gatchalian said in filing his COC for senator under the NPC.
Asked about his party mate's move, Sotto said he has yet to speak again with Gatchalian about his inclusion in their tandem's senatorial slate.
"Not yet. I'll submit his name to the group as party mate, but right we are in a pleasant predicament, we have 15 on our list," Sotto told the Manila Bulletin.
He said they will finalize their Senate ticket after the filing of COCs.
So far, five NPC members -- Gatchalian and former senators Loren Legarda, Francis "Chiz" Escudero, and JV Ejercito, and former Quezon City mayor Herbert Bautista -- have filed their candidacies for senator, while three from Lacson's party, the Partido Reporma, have also made formal their senatorial bids.
Lacson and Sotto also said they are endorsing reelectionist Sens. Joel Villanueva and Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri, as well as former vice president Jejomar Binay, DICT Secretary Gregorio "Gringo" Honasan II, and former agriculture secretary Manny Emmanuel "Manny" Piñol.
They also confirmed speaking with broadcaster Raffy Tulfo, who will likewise attempt to win a seat in the Senate.