DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 01 October) – A college professor from a private school in Toril District was the first to file a certificate of candidacy (COC) at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) office here for the May 12, 2025 local polls.
Ramil Fernando Brucal, 54, a professor from the Davao Central College – Toril, filed his COC for councilor of the city’s third district at 8:27 a.m. on Tuesday, October 1.
An independent candidate, he vowed to advocate for ecological preservation for the sake of the present and future generations, as well as affordable education.
Should he win, Brucal said he will focus on implementing Republic Act (RA) 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 and strengthening RA 9072 or the National Caves and Cave Resources Management and Protection Act.
He also said he will push “education and sports scholarships” for the youth.
“Being a college instructor for many years, (I’ve seen that) some of my students cannot continue their studies because of lack of financial support. But at the back of my mind, I [realized that] no one can help them except for their education,” he said.
Brucal said he would seek the support of his friends, students and colleagues in his bid to win a seat in the third district.
“I am not affiliated with any political party, I want to help my community,” he said.
As of 12:30 p.m., Brucal was the only local aspirant to file a COC at the Comelec office here, which opened at 8 a.m.
The COC filing for the midterm national and local elections is until October 8. (Ian Carl E. Espinosa / MindaNews)
