COC filing begins: Celebrities, personalities, and re-electionists who filed on the first day
The filing of certificates of candidacy for the 2025 national and local elections has commenced.
Aspiring candidates have begun submitting their candidacies as the Commission on Elections officially opened the filing process on October 1. Those eyeing a government position have until October 8 to formalize their bids.
According to Comelec, the May 12, 2025 elections will have 18,272 national and local political posts, which is 200 more than the 2022 polls.
The first day saw a handful of personalities filing their COCs—from veteran politicians, celebrities, content creators, and even former nuisance candidates in the previous 2022 poll. Here's a list of notable personalities vying for a seat.
Veteran politicians
Among the veteran politicians who filed their COC earlier today are Sen. Francis Tolentino, who will run under President Bongbong Marcos' Alyansa ng Bagong Pilipinas, House Speaker Martin Romualdez, who is aiming for re-election as representative of Leyte's 1st District, former Manila mayor Lito Atienza for the Buhay partylist, and former House senior deputy minority leader Neri Colmenares for the Bayan Muna partylist.
As for local posts, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte is seeking re-election for the third consecutive time as she filed his COC with incumbent Vice Mayor Gian Sotto.
They are joined by their fathers, former Quezon City mayor and former House speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. and former Senate president Tito Sotto, respectively.
Senator Nancy Binay and her running mate Monsour del Rosario are seeking the seat of mayor and vice mayor of Makati, respectively.
Celebrities and personalities
In addition to veteran politicians, various celebrities and personalities also showed up to mark their candidacy for the 2025 midterm elections.
Among these is content creator Rosmarie "Rosmar" Tan-Pamulaklakin, a vlogger and entrepreneur who aims to become one of the councilors in the first district of Manila.
"Nung nakausap ko po 'yung mga vice [mayor] dun, mga mayor, akala nga po nila kakalabanin ko po sila. Pero sabi ko po wala naman po talaga ako kasing balak, nagkataon lang po na ngayon, nakumbinsi po nila ako. Dahil sabi po mas marami daw akong matutulungan kapag po naka-posisyon. 'Yun lang po talaga 'yung bgay na nagpa-oo sa akin," she told reporters, including The Philippine STAR.
Likewise, vlogger Marc Gamboa, known for his YouTube channel "Models of Manila TV," formalized his bid for a senatorial seat after he filed his COC at the Manila Hotel.
QC 1st District Representative Arjo Atayde, accompanied by his mother, actress Sylvia Sanchez, also filed his candidacy at the COMELEC-NCR office in San Juan City.
Quezon City 5th District Councilor Alfred Vargas, who is also seeking reelection, filed his COC at the Amoranto Sports Complex in Quezon City accompanied by his wife, Yasmine Espiritu.
Actor-turned-marine reservist Enzo Pineda is eyeing the QC 5th District Councilor position as he filed his candidacy accompanied by his girlfriend, actress Michelle Vito.
Actress Lani Mercado-Revilla, the incumbent Cavite 2nd District Representative, files her COC for reelection with her husband, Sen. Bong Revilla.
Meanwhile, former Viva Hot Babe JC Parker is seeking reelection as the city councilor of Angeles, Pampanga.
Actor-turned-politician Daniel Fernando also filed his candidacy to bag the Bulacan governor seat once more.
It's Showtime host Ion Perez also running for councilor at Concepcion, Tarlac.
Actor Marco Gumabao has also officially filed his COC for a position in Camarines Sur's 4th district. Accompanied by his girlfriend, actress Cristine Reyes, he made this significant move with the intention of securing a role in the upcoming political landscape.
"Para sa’kin, simula ‘to ng isang malaking yugto sa aking buhay. Panibagong simula na sigurado ako makaka gawa ng malaking epekto hindi lang para sa sarili ko, kundi sa buong 4th district ng CamSu," he wrote on Instagram.
Personalities who were dismissed as nuisance candidates in the previous poll are also making their bids for the 2025 elections.
Electrician-carpenter Alexander Encarnacion, who ran for senator in 2019 and for president in 2022, eyes a Senate post anew.
Daniel Magtira, a past nuisance candidate who made the rounds for claiming to be married to Kris Aquino, also wants to be a senator. This time, he also wants to marry Sen. Imee Marcos. (with reports Melanie Uson)