MANILA, Philippines – Early birds Senator Aquilino Pimentel III and singer Freddie Aguilar virtually opened the filing of certificates of candidacy (COC) at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Thursday, October 11.

“There is unfinished business to be pursued at the Senate,” Pimentel said after filing his COC at exactly 8 am on Thursday, the start of filing COCs.

When asked why he filed his COC this early, Pimentel said, “Para po mawala na ‘to sa isip ko dahil ako’y ikakasal next week. Kailangan ang atensyon ko naman doon naman sa aking personal na plano.“

(So that I can get this out of my mind, because I’m getting married next week. I need to turn my attention to my personal plans.)

Pimentel will be married to fiancée Anna Kathryna Yu on October 18 at the Coconut Palace. Yu accompanied Pimentel during the COC filing, and she also posed for photos with her soon-to-be-husband.

Aguilar, a Duterte supporter, said he is running for senator under Duterte’s party, PDP-Laban. He said he has a certificate of nomination and acceptance from PDP-Laban.

“After 40 years po ay nakumbinsi na po akong tumakbo sa Senado. Matagal na po nila akong kinukumbinsi dahil daw po sa aking mga advocacies sa kanta ko for 40 years, at ang nagpapayag sa akin ay mga ordinaryong mamamayan lang po,” Aguilar said.

(After 40 years, I was finally convinced to run for the Senate. They’ve long been trying to convince me because of my advocacies in my songs for 40 years, and it’s the ordinary people who convinced me to do this.)

When asked if his candidacy has Duterte’s blessings, Aguilar said, “Ah wala po, ma’am, ‘yung mga ordinaryong mamamayan po ang kumumbinsi sa akin.” (Ah, none, ma’am, it’s the ordinary people who convinced me.)

The filing of COCs runs from October 11 to 17, excluding weekends. (READ: Election fever heats up as filing of candidacies begins)

More than 18,000 national and local positions will be up for grabs in the midterm elections on May 13, 2019. – Rappler.com