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. . . . . A community service of The Filipino Web Channel (TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail. com) and the Philippine Village Voice (PhilVoiceNews@gmail.com) for the information and understanding of Filipinos and the diverse communities in North America . . . . . .
Our latest as of Friday, October 8, 2021
~ A slew of presidential wannabes totaling 87 has thrown their hats into the political ring in hopes of succeeding the populist President Rodrigo Duterte in the May 9, 2022 elections in the Philippines. Except for five who are considered serious front-runners, many of the other aspirants fall into the category of nuisance candidates, some of them with nary a chance of winning, let alone amassing a decent number of votes. More than 18,000 elective seats are at stake in various levels of government.
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MAY 9, 2022 ELECTION
87 Vie for President of the Philippines
By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ
Editor, The Filipino Web Channel
“People never lie so much as after a hunt, during a war, or before an election.” ― Otto von Bismarck
TORONTO - Four incumbent national officials, a former senator, and a city mayor are among 87 individuals of different political persuasions, social standing, and religious beliefs in the race for president of the Philippines, updated elections records show.
Whoever emerges the winner in the general elections on May 9, 2022, will replace President Rodrigo Duterte, the incumbent 76-year-old populist who by law is termed out after serving six years from June 30, 2016, to June 30, 2022. (https://en.wikipedia.org/
The Philippine elections office said that as of September 2021, it has already processed a total of 63,364,932 registered voters out of a population of 109.6 million counted in 2020. That voters' number is below the 73.3 million projected by the country's statistics authority for the year 2022.
A simple majority of votes cast will decide the winner.
Considered by many as front runners are former senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., age 64; incumbent Senators Panfilo Lacson, 73, and Emmanuel "Manny" Pacquiao, 42; the present Vice President Maria Leonor "Leni" Robredo, 56; and current Manila Mayor Francisco Domagoso aka Isko Moreno, 46.
The recently-retired world boxing champ Pacquiao's eagerness to capture the top elective post showed early on, registering his candidacy on October 1, the very first day the elections office began accepting registrants. Moreno, a former actor, followed on Oct. 4. Lacson and Marcos filed the same day on Oct. 4.
And after much dilly-dallying, Robredo finally signed up on the last day, Oct. 7. To the big surprise of many in and out of his party,
Senator Ronald "Bato" de la Rosa, 59, added his name to the list within hours before the deadline.
Twenty-eight candidates, separately or in tandem with the presidential aspirants, are running for vice president, the second-highest post in the land now occupied by Ms. Robredo, among them incumbent Senators Bong Go, 47, Tito Sotto, 73, and Francis Pangilinan, 58; and Representative Lito Atienza, 80.
As it is a general election, other national, regional, provincial, and local seats are up for grabs
too, including for some members of the two houses of Congress - the Senate and the House
of Representatives. The latest unofficial count shows more than 18,000 open positions.
In Metro Manila, the national capital region, seats at stake are in 32 congressional districts,
16 highly urbanized cities, and one municipality.
Overseas voters can cast their votes from April 10, 2022, to May 9, 2022, the latter date being the actual day of the election, according to the Commission on Elections.
In Toronto, the Philippine Consulate General has announced that the Commission has extended the registration period for overseas voting by two weeks or until Thursday, October 14, 2021.
Requests for appointment for voting registration can be sent by email at ovs@philcongen-toronto.com.
Documents needed for the appointment are a valid Philippine passport, and, if a dual citizen, identification certificate or oath of allegiance or proof of Philippine citizenship (report of birth if born abroad of Filipino parents). (Copyright 2021. All Rights Reserved).
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