Actor Richard Yap filed his certificate of candidacy (COC) for representative of Cebu City’s 1st District on Sunday, October 3.

Yap’s wife Melody filed his COC on his behalf at the local Commission on Elections office.

Yap previously ran and lost in the 2019 midterm elections against then-incumbent congressman Raul del Mar.

Del Mar died in November 2020, leaving his House seat vacant for the first time in over 30 years.

House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco is currently the 1st District’s caretaker.

Yap has never held public office. He previously ran under PDP-Barug, a local party affiliated with the ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan.

Rachel “Cutie” del Mar, Raul del Mar’s daughter, said last June that she intends to run for the seat left by her father. She has not yet filed her COC.

Yap is best known for his role as Richard “Sir Chief” Lim in the hit 2012 ABS-CBN show Be Careful with My Heart, where he co-starred with Jodi Santa Maria.

Yap previously said that he is a supporter of President Rodrigo Duterte and the administration’s war on drugs. He also said he wanted to bring his experience in business with him to Congress.

Cebu City’s 1st District is home to two of the city’s business hubs – the Cebu Business Park and IT Park – and several vote-rich barangays. – Rappler.com