MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) –  Veteran journalist Michael Ubac filed his ceritificate of nomination and acceptance (CONA) with the Luntiang Pilipinas party, taking the spot vacated by former Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque.

Roque has instead decided to gun for a seat in the Senate.

Ubac is listed as the party’s first nominee, according to a list compiled by the Comission on Elections (Comelec) of party-list groups who filed their CONAs from Thursday, October 11 to Wednesday, October 17. He also confirmed this in a message to Rappler Thursday, October 18. 

“Let’s start advancing the green agenda to protect ourselves from the devastating effects of climate change and make stormed-ravaged communities resilient,” Ubac said. 

Luntiang Pilipinas quietly filed their CONAs past 4 pm through a lawyer authorized by the group’s president, Carlyzar Divinagracia, on the last day of filing of CONAs and certificates of candidacy (COC) on Wednesday, October 17.  

The group was supposed to file their CONAs on Tuesday, October 16 along with Roque but the filing period came and went without them showing up. The following day, Roque trooped to the Comelec to file his COC for senator. (READ: Harry Roque wants to channel Miriam Santiago at Senate)

Ubac served as the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s News day desk chief since March 2015. Prior to that, he was a reporter for the newspaper from 1997 to March 2014. 

Ubac takes Roque’s place as the latter decided to forge ahead with a Senate bid after days of indecision and despite President Rodrigo Duterte announcing weeks earlier that he would not win. Roque earlier said he would run with Luntiang Pilipinas to push for environmental legislation after recent calamities. (TIMELINE: Harry Roque’s days of indecision on Senate bid) – Rappler.com