BAGUIO CITY – Last-minute filers of their respective certificates of candidacy (COCs) gave color and drama during the deadline for the COC filing in the various offices of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) on October 8, 2024.
The biggest surprise was made by former 6-term Mayor and 3-term Rep. Mauricio G. Domogan when he filed his COC for Baguio’s lone congressional seat shortly before the close of office hours, beating the deadline for the filing of COCs.
Domogan will be aspiring for the congressional post that will be vacated by incumbent 3-term Rep. Mark Go, who earlier filed his COC for the city’s mayoralty post, and will be going up against former Rep. Nicasio M. Aliping, Jr., 3-term Councilor Isabelo B. Cosalan, Jr., businesswoman Gladys Vergara and Soledad Go, wife of the outgoing lawmaker.
The 78-year old veteran lawmaker will be offering to the city’s electorate his vast experience in law making and passion to serve the greater interest of the residents as he will go against the much younger aspirants for the said position.
Domogan will be carrying the name of the Timpuyog ti Baguio, a local political collation, that had been instrumental in charting the city’s development, especially after the July 16, 1990 killer earthquake that paved the way for Baguio to regain its grandeur as one of the preferred tourist destinations in the country being the country’s undisputed Summer Capital.
Another surprise that caught the attention of the electorate in Benguet was the filing of COC of 3-term board member Ruben Paoad who wants to join the fray in the province’s gubernatorial post following the lapse of his term on June 30, 2025.
In Mountain Province, erstwhile gubernatorial candidate Jose “Jet” O. Dominguez, who was the first one to file his COC on October 1, 2024, surprisingly withdrew his candidacy for the province’s top post and decided to slide down to the vice gubernatorial post to go against incumbent Vice Gov. Francis Tauli and four their aspirants.
Further, his brother, Joseph “Joey” Dominguez, who was said to be aspiring for the mayoralty post of Sabangan, Mountain Province, filed his COC for board member of the province’s second district covering the towns of Bauko, Besao, Sabangan, Sagada and Tadian.
In Tabuk City, Kalinga, former City Mayor Ferdinand Tubban withdrew his COC which he earlier filed for the mayoralty post at the start of the filing period and filed for the city’s vice mayoralty post and will be pitted against incumbent Vice Mayor Dick Bal-o and Cornelio Tabanganay, leaving incumbent Mayor Darwin C. Estran֮ero unopposed for his re-election bid to complete his third term as the city’s local chief executive.
Earlier, many political observers predicted that there will be some surprises that will add color and drama to the last day of the COC filing last week that saw some big names in the region’s political arena come to life following several years of being out of touch by their respective constituents that will bring excitement in the various contested positions in next year’s elections.
Some of the big names in politics in the different parts of the region opted to file their respective COCs right on the last day of the scheduled filing period to assess and evaluate their prospective rivals in next year’s polls. By HENT
