Romualdez is seeking for his 3rd term

TACLOBAN CITY – House Speaker Martin Romualdez officially filed his certificate of candidacy (CoC) on Tuesday, October 1, seeking his third and final term as the congressional representative of Leyte’s 1st district.

Romualdez submitted his CoC at the Leyte Provincial Office of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) around 11:15 am.

The document was accepted by Leyte elections supervisor, Atty. Maria Goretti Cañas.
At the city office of the Comelec, Romualdez’s son, Ferdinand Martin, Jr. has filed his own CoC, seeking for a seat at the Tacloban city council seat.

Aside from the younger Romualdez, among those who filed his CoC during the first day of submitting the certificates for those running in next year’s polls was Dandee Grafil.
Grafil is the husband of outgoing Councilor Aimee Grafil who is to serve out her nine-year in office until June 30, 2025.

In a rare show of unity, Romualdez was accompanied by Leyte Governor Carlos Jericho Petilla, Vice Gov. Leonardo Javier and his wife, Rep. Karen Javier(2nd district) and several mayors from the province, led by Palo Mayor Remedios Petilla, president of the League of Municipalities.

He was the first congressional candidate in Leyte to file his candidacy.

“I am grateful for the presence and support of our governor, vice governor, mayors, and Tacloban city officials,” Romualdez said in a brief ambush interview after filing his CoC.
However, the Speaker did not entertain further questions from local media.

Gov. Petilla, who is seeking his second term in next year’s elections, explained that he and the mayors accompanied Romualdez to show their “total support” for his reelection bid.
The governor emphasized Romualdez’s significant contributions to Leyte, particularly in infrastructure and other assistance.

“The Speaker is from Leyte, and he has done a lot for us. Infrastructure projects are happening left and right across all districts of the province. Why would we go against him?” Gov. Petilla remarked.

“Leyte has greatly benefited from Speaker Romualdez,” he added.

Mayor Remedios Petilla echoed the governor’s sentiment, saying Romualdez’s reelection is crucial for the continued progress of Leyte.

Palo, her municipality, is part of Leyte’s 1st District, which also includes Tacloban City and seven other towns.

“We support him because we want Leyte to continue improving,” the governor’s mother said.

The mayor expressed her gratitude to Romualdez for allocating P60 million for the expansion of Palo’s municipal building.

The Petillas and Romualdezes have long been considered political rivals in Leyte.

In 2007 elections, Remedios Petilla, then congresswoman of Leyte’s 1st district, withdrew her reelection bid to make way for Romualdez after former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo intervened.

Before filing his own CoC, Speaker Romualdez accompanied his son, Ferdinand Martin Romualdez Jr., who filed his candidacy for a seat on the Tacloban City Council at 10:57 am.
The younger Romualdez is seeking public office for the first time. He also declined media interviews.

Additionally, Raymund Romualdez, son of Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez and cousin of both Speaker Romualdez and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., submitted his CoC for vice mayor.

Raymund, who is now a barangay chairman, is seeking the post again after an unsuccessful bid in the 2022 elections.

The Comelec in the region started accepting CoCs from candidates running in next year’s elections on Tuesday, October 1.

All six incumbent governors and 12 congressional representatives in the region are expected to seek reelection in the upcoming May 12, 2025 elections.

Jenette Fariola Ruedas, the Comelec regional information officer, said that the CoC filing will run from October 1 to October 8.

“We are fully prepared to accept the CoCs for the May 25, 2025 elections,” Ruedas stated.
She emphasized that based on the guidelines issued by their central office, there will be no extensions to this filing period, which will also include Saturday, October 5, and Sunday, October 6, from 8 am to 5 pm.

Candidates are required to submit five notarized copies of their CoCs along with a documentary stamp.

Here in the region, up for grabs are six gubernatorial and vice-gubernatorial positions, 12 congressional seats, 56 provincial board seats, 143 city and municipal mayoral positions, 143 city and vice mayor posts, and 1,152 seats on city and municipal councils.

Ruedas also noted that candidates can only be accompanied by three companions when filing their CoCs at local Comelec offices. However, supporters will be allowed on the premises to maintain an orderly process.

“We want to ensure that everything proceeds smoothly,” she explained.

To further enhance safety and order during the eight-day CoC filing period, Comelec has coordinated with local police and personnel from the Traffic Operation Management Enforcement Control Office (TOMECO).

The Tacloban and Leyte Comelec offices, along with the regional office, are located in the same building at the Abucay terminal, which is equipped with a standby generator to handle any potential power outages.

Ruedas mentioned that several local offices have requested additional space due to constraints, with some temporarily relocating to a gymnasium. She emphasized that these changes are not related to any security threats.

In light of safety concerns, Ruedas urged any Comelec personnel facing threats in connection with the 2025 elections to report these incidents immediately to higher authorities.

“So far, none of our personnel has reported a threat, but we have reminded them to inform us promptly about any such cases,” she said.

JOEY A. GABIETA/ROEL T. AMAZONA