BY GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Jailed Moises Padilla Vice Mayor Ian Villaflor and three other incumbent councilors yesterday filed their respective Certificates of Candidacy as they sought reelection.
Villaflor and Councilor Jimmiedon Plaza were escorted by operatives of the National Bureau of Investigations in filing their respective CoCs in Moises Padilla.
Councilors Vincent Garcia and Morito Flores, accompanied by policemen, marched from the Moises Padilla Police Station to the Comelec in handcuffs, to file their CoCs for reelection.
Villaflor, Plaza, Garcia, who is the nephew of Moises Padilla Mayor Ella Celestina Garcia-Yulo, and Flores were charged for murder, in connection with the killing of town Councillor Jolomar Hilario in 2019.
All of them strongly debunked accusations hurled against them.
Also joining them in the march to Comelec office were Mayor Garcia-Yulo and other town councilor aspirants.
Three more incumbent local chief executives in Negros Occidental filed their CoCs on October 5.
Himamaylan City Mayor Raymond Tongson with Vice Mayor Justin Gatuslao led their ticket in filing their CoCs.
Tongson’s team carried the United Negros Alliance (UNegA) colors.
In Kabankalan City, Mayor Pedro Zayco and Vice Mayor Raul Rivera also filed their CoCs today.
Their party is the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC).
The Zayco-Rivera tandem was accompanied by former mayor Isidro Zayco, board member Jeffrey Tubola and Rep. Genaro Alvarez (6th district).
DSB Mayor Marxlen dela Cruz and brother Vice Mayor Nehemias dela Cruz with their unity ticket filed their CoC as they bid for another term as mayor and vice mayor respectively.*
