President Rodrigo R. Duterte joined the 2022 senatorial race on the last day of filing substitutions.
Duterte’s legal counsel, Jeth Lester Tan, filed the President’s Certificate of Candidacy (COC) at the Commission on Election (Comelec) main office.
Duterte is running under the Pedaralismo ng Dugong Dakilang Samahan (PDDS), which is led by former Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) Commissioner Greco Belgica.
This after PDDS’ senatorial candidate Mona Liza O. Vizorde decided to withdraw her candidacy to give way to Duterte’s senate candidacy.
Belgica, who accompanied Tan, Duterte’s inclusion in their senate slate was a party decision.
To recall, Duterte also used substitution when he ran for the presidency in the 2016 polls.
Other subs
Aside from the President, other members of his Cabinet also decided to file their substitutions last Monday.
Among them is the recently retired Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Guiellermo Eleazar, who will be running as senator under the Partido Reporma of Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson.
He replaced Paolo Redemptus De Andres Capino, who withdrew his candidacy.
Former National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) spokesperson Antonio Parlade is also eyeing a presidential bid in 2022 polls under the Katipunan ng Demokratikong Pilipino (KDP).
The last prominent Cabinet members, who filed his COC last Monday through substitution is former spokesperson Harry Roque all filed their COC during the last day of substitution.
Roque replaced Paolo Martelino as the new senatorial bet of the People’s Reform Party.
Mockery
Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said that as of Nov. 15, 2021, he said there were a total of 19 national candidates, who exercised substitutions and withdrawal of their COC.
He said this substitution was already exercised in the past polls, but it is only recently that it became prominent because “it played at the national level.”
“Before it was rare at the national level,” Jimenez said.
Election watchdog Kontra Daya condemned the mass use of withdrawals and substitutions, which it said made a mockery of election rules.
It urged the Comelec to declare all “placeholder” candidates as nuisance candidates.
“They were, after all, never serious about their candidacies in the first place. Had Comelec decided swiftly and decisively, substitution would not have been allowed, sparing the public from the political maneuverings of the rich and powerful,” Kontra Daya said in a statement.
The so-called abuse of the substitution scheme prompted some lawmakers for the abolition of the said scheme.
Jimenez reiterated maintained that they believe substitution remains “a necessary and valid procedure” but they will abide by whatever law Congress will pass.
Images courtesy of AP/Aaron Favila and Roy Domingo