Governor Arthur Yap on Friday announced that his Padayon Bol-anon coalition will be fielding two “new faces” as candidates for the congressional seats in the third and second districts.
Yap, during the Capitol’s weekly online press briefing, said last-term Valencia Mayor Kat Lim and former Provincial Board (PB) member Jaja Jumamoy will be running for representatives of the third and second districts, respectively.
It will be both their first time to take a shot at a congressional seat.
Meanwhile, veteran lawmaker Rep. Edgar Chatto will be seeking reelection for his second straight term, and fifth overall, as first district congressman.
According to Yap, both Jumamoy and Lim may be new as congressional candidates but both have ample experience as public servants.
“New face siya, bag-ong dagway apan dugay na sa public service tungod kay former number one [Provincial] Board member sa Segundo distrito si Jaja Jumamoy, ug sa tersero distrito si Mayor Kat Kat Lim of Valencia. It’s also her first bid in congress, but also an old face in public service,” said Yap.
Jumamoy, who is a pilot by profession, is the daughter of Inabanga Mayor Roygie Jumamoy while Lim is the niece of the late former vice governor Conching Lim.
Both Jumamoy and Lim are expected to go up against tough opponents in Vanvan Aumentado and Rep. Alexie Tutor, respectively.
The second district is a known bailiwick of the Aumentados through Vanvan’s husband Aris, the last-term incumbent, and father-in-law Erico who had long held the district’s seat.
Tutor meanwhile walloped Padayon Bol-anon’s previous third district congressional bet Caloy Fernando in the 2019 polls.
However, Padayon Bol-anon has an ace in Chatto who has never been defeated in an electoral race in his political career, holding posts as mayor, vice governor, congressman, and governor since 1988.
The opposition led by Aris has not announced yet who they will field against Chatto.
In the same press briefing, Yap reconfirmed that he and Vice Governor Rene Relampagos will be seeking reelection.
Yap said he will wait for all other Padayon Bol-anon bets to file their certificates of candidacy (COC) first before he will file his.
The governor also noted that he will let PB candidates under his coalition introduce themselves when they file their COCs before he publicly acknowledges them as Padayon Bol-anon bets. (rt)