DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 3 Oct) – Two councilors who claimed to be backed by the Nograles clan, rivals of the Dutertes, filed their certificates of candidacy here Thursday.
Prisicilla Galope-Albarracin and Ricky Liparanon are both under Lakas-CMD party.
Former barangay 5-A kagawad Priscilla Galope-Albarracin, 55, the daughter of the late councilor and staunch Duterte critic Rene Galope, filed her certificate of candidacy as first district councilor, arriving at 8:36 a.m.
Albarracin did not divulge her platforms, but she said she is “ready to serve” her district.
Liparanon, 51, who arrived at 9:23 a.m., is the incumbent barangay captain of Baliok in Toril. He was also former barangay kagawad.
Liparanon said he intends to provide funding for the city fire and disaster rescuers and volunteers.
“Kana sila akong unahon, kay wala sila’y sweldo, ug sila naga-abante kanunay sa mga baha o unsa pa diha (I will prioritize the rescuers and volunteers because they don’t have salaries yet they’re always there helping out during floods and other calamities),” Liparanon added.
With supporters wearing shirts and bringing balloons in various shades of blue – the campaign color associated with the Nograles camp – who waited outside, Albarracin and Liparanon went inside the local office of the Commission on Elections to file their certificates of candidacies (COCs).
Both confirmed they will be under the Nograles clan’s city council slate, but did not bare which Nograles.
The Nograleses are known staunch rivals of the Dutertes since late 1990s when its late patriarch, Prospero “Boy” Nograles, challenged Rodrigo Duterte in 1998 and Sara Duterte in 2010 for the mayoralty race, but lost in both attempts.
Albarracin and Liparanon said they will just focus on their campaigns amid the Duterte-backed Hugpong sa Tawong Lungsod (HTL) reelectionist councilors.
“I can do it. I won’t mind them, but will focus only on my platforms, on what I can do for the city,” said Liparanon, referring to the HTL candidates.
As of 10:30 a.m. Thursday, only four candidates filed their candidacies as first district councilors; the other two were independent candidate Markoper Javier, who filed Monday afternoon, and Paolo Duterte’s son Rodrigo (“Rigo”).
So far, Ramil Fernando Brucal has filed his COC as independent councilor for the third district, while no one yet has filed under the second district.
No one, too, has yet filed candidacy for mayor, vice mayor, and congressional representatives for the three districts of the city.
Incumbent city councilors, mostly from HTL, had not filed their candidacies yet. (Ian Carl Espinosa / MindaNews)