With just two more days left before the certificate of candidacy (COC) filing deadline, more senatorial aspirants trooped to The Tent City of Manila Hotel on Sunday, Oct. 6, to formalize their bid for a seat in the upper chamber of Congress.

Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Erwin Garcia said that a total of eight aspirants filed COCs for senator while 14 made filings for party-lists. 

So far, 87 out of the 160 party-lists being expected by Comelec to participate in the May 2025 mid-term polls have flied.

Erwin Tulfo, Jimmy Bondoc join Senate race

One of the early birds on the sixth day of filing was musician-turned-lawyer Jimmy Bondoc. The senatorial aspirant is running under the banner of PDP-Laban. He was accompanied by party president, Senator Robin Padilla.

Media asked Bondoc about his inclination toward anti-corruption policies. Specifically raised was former president Rodrigo Duterte's plunder and graft charges worth P6.6 billion.

"Well, that's what the courts are there for so tayo ay talagang susunod na lamang sa (so we will just follow the) very time-honored principle na innocent until proven guilty. At ako na po na bilang kaibigan niya ay siguradong sigurado naman na ang lahat ng ginawa ng ating nakaraang pangulo ay the best interest of the people (As his friend, I'm absolutely certain that everything our previous president did was in the best interest of the people)," he said.

Bondoc said that he remains loyal to his friend Duterte--the party's current chairman. 

"Siya po ay aking kaibigan at isa po sa aking talagang layunin ay patibayin ang best of the best of the Duterte principles (He's my friend and one of my true intentions is to strengthen the best of the best of the Duterte principles)," he said.

He was also asked about press freedom since he's known for being vocal about ABS-CBN franchise in the past.

For Bondoc, the franchise issue is different from the issue of press freedom.

"As an artist, ang kalayaan po ng pamamahayag ay napakahalaga sa akin. At para sa akin din po, natutuwa akong makarinig ng balita na halos lahat ng mga naapektuhan ng trabaho dati sa kaganapan na yun ay may trabaho na and I think the network is doing well (As an artist, freedom of expression is extremely important to me. And for me, it's also delightful to hear the news that almost all those affected by the job situation after that incident are employed, and I think the network is doing well)," he said.

"Para sa akin, yung mga issues dati na kinaharap ng network dapat dinigin sa tamang korte para matapos ang issues about tax, labor, at lahat pa nung pinaratang sa kanila (For me, the issues that the network faced in the past should be heard in the right court to resolve those involving tax, labor, and all the wrongdoings against them)," he added.

Survey frontrunner, ACT-CIS Party-list Rep. Erwin Tulfo also filed his COC for senator.

Like his brother Ben, Erwin was also asked about allegations of a political dynasty considering the possibility that there might be three Tulfos in the Senate next year. He stated that in the absence of a law against political dynasties, the people should be left to decide who they want to elect.

"Kung may batas na ho then we stop. Yung political dynasty matagal na hong usapin ho yan eh, and I believe hindi po titigil yan hanggang wala pong batas (If there's a law, then we stop. The issue of political dynasties has been a long-standing concern, and I believe it will never be resolved until a law is put in place)," he said.

Tulfo mentioned that if a law on it would be pursued in the Senate, he would support it, for as long as it would be for the benefit of the people.

Junbert Guigayuma, a member of the Higaonon tribe, filed his COC for senator. He is seeking to represent the Indigenous People (IPs) in the upper chamber.

"Sana, mismo po sa hanay namin ay magkaroon ng indigenous representation sa loob ng Senado (I hope we can have an indigenous representation within the ranks of the Senate)," he said.

He was followed by Wilson Amad, who previously ran as vice president in the 2022 polls but was declared a nuisance candidate by the poll body. 

He even thanked Comelec for declaring him a nuisance candidate, which according to him, made him gain supporters. "Without you, I will never shine," he said.

Persistence is key for Sixto Lagare, alias "Mr. Juror", who filed a COC for senator anew after being dismissed as a nuisance candidate three times before.

He assailed Comelec's authority or power to declare an aspirant as a nuisance candidate simply for not being well-known, or the lack of political machinery, as well as financial incapacity.

As of this posting, the last to file a COC for senator was lawyer Ernesto Arellano.

Senator Pia Cayetano seeks reelection

Incumbent Senator Pia Cayetano filed her COC after she led a bike ride with an estimated 150 cyclists from Taguig, Manila, and Pasay City. 

In a statement, she said that her reelection bid was her staying true to her advocacies of sustainable transportation, and health and wellness

She was accompanied by members of her family, including brother Senator Alan Peter Cayetano.

Pia was not interviewed by the media.

Guanzon runs anew for P3PWD Party-list

Arriving in a wheelchair, former Comelec commissioner Rowena Guanzon had a lot to share, and spoke for more than the time allotted to aspirants before the media. 

Guanzon was the first nominee of the Komunidad ng Pamilya Pasyente at Persons with Disabilities (P3PWD Party-list) and filed a Certificate of Nomination and Certificate of Acceptance of Nomination (CON-CAN). 

During her over 30-minute media time, she enumerated the pieces of legislation that she would pursue for PWDs. She also couldn't help but rant to reporters.

She specifically stated that she was the one who suffered the most for supporting the presidential candidacy of then-vice president Leni Robredo in 2022. Guanzon also slammed the Office of the Ombudsman (OMB) for the graft charges filed against her.

This was for the alleged premature disclosure to the public in 2022 of the confidential information on the disqualification case against then-candidate and now President Marcos that was then pending before the poll body.

She insisted that she did not steal anything. 

Meanwhile, Lorraine Marie T. Badoy, former spokesperson of the National Taskforce to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) surfaced Sunday as one of the nominees of the Epanaw Sambayanan Party-list.

Badoy, who in the past was on the receiving end of accusations of red-tagging and was even reprimanded by the Supreme Court (SC) for indirect contempt of court for “threats” she aired in her social media posts against Judge Marlo A. Magdoza-Malagar of the Manila Trial Court, said that their party-list will fight for the rights of IPs.

Makabayan solon and incumbent ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro--a senatorial aspirant--accompanied Antonio Tinio in the filing of a CON-CAN.  

Tinio said that their push for seeking accountability from Vice President Sara Duterte would continue.

Other party-lists that filed Sunday were Pinoy Workers, Abante Pangasinan Ilocano, Unyon ng mga Gabay ng Bayan, Eduaksyon, SSS-GSIS Pensyonado, Pusong Pinoy, Rebolusyonaryong Alyansang Makabansa, and Ako Padayon Pilipino Party-list.