‘Klasmit Boyet’ Cortes makes it a three-way fight for Cebu governor

IT is neither an all-female showdown nor a two-corner bout for the gubernatorial post in Cebu province come the 2019 midterm elections.

This developed after television personality Roliveth “Klasmit Boyet” Cortes managed to file his Certificate of Candidacy for governor at the Provincial Commission on Elections (Comelec) Office on the last day of the filing on Wednesday.

Cortes arrived at the Comelec office around 10 a.m., the same time that 3rd district Rep. Gwendolyn Garcia came to accompany her running mate, Daphne Salimbangon, in filing her COC.

Cortes, however, missed the filing of Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale who filed her COC around 9 a.m.

Despite running for the same post, Cortes and Garcia talked for a while which ended with the latter wishing her opponent luck.

Cortes is running as an independent candidate. He is banking on the millennials’ support in his candidacy.

He said he has the advantage because he is the only male gubernatorial candidate and the youngest candidate.

This is the third time that Cortes filed his COC for the same position. He first ran for governor in the 2013 and 2016 elections where he lost to incumbent Gov. Hilario “Junjun” Davide III.

Meanwhile, a law school dean will vie for Cebu’s sixth district seat in congress in the 2019 midterm elections.

Lawyer Baldomero Estenzo, dean of the University of Cebu College of Law, will be vying against former Mandaue City Councilor Emmarie “Lolypop” Ouano-Dizon.

Aside from creating the lone district of Mandaue City, Estenzo said that he will prioritize education and sports program for the district.

Estenzo is running under the ticket of the incumbent Mandaue City Mayor Gabriel Luis Quisumbing.

As the filing of COCs closed yesterday at 5 p.m., 50 provincial candidates have officially filed for candidacy for the coming May 2019 midterm elections.

The congressional and board member posts in all seven districts were all contested.

Solomon Paypa was last to file in the Commission on Elections – Provincial Office his COC for House Representative of Cebu’s first district, as an independent candidate.

Also some of the last-minute filers were Sammy Moralde, who is running for a provincial board post in Cebu’s 4th district, Rudy Flormata who is vying for a congressional post in Cebu’s first district, and Walter Dy who is also bidding himself for a congressional post in Cebu’s 6th district.