Presidential Election Campaign Kicks Off in the Philippines

Philippines Presidential Election Campaign 2022

The three-month election campaign in the Philippines is set to start on February 8, 2022 amid a continuing pandemic scare.

There are 10 presidential candidates, 9 vice-presidential candidates, 64 senatorial aspirants, and 177 party-list groups. In the Philippines, the president and vice president are elected separately. Only 12 senators will be declared winners. Party-list groups with 2 percent of votes will automatically get one seat in Congress. Local elections for more than 18,000 positions will be held at the same time.

There are 65.7 million domestic voters and around 1.8 million overseas voters. The national and local elections are scheduled for May 9.

The ten presidential candidates are Ernesto Abella, Leodegario de Guzman, Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso, Norberto Gonzales, Panfilo Lacson, Faisal Mangondato, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Jose Montemayor Jr, Emmanuel Pacquiao, and Maria Leonor Robredo.

Abella is the former spokesperson of President Rodrigo Duterte although he is running as an independent. De Guzman is a socialist labor leader. Domagoso is the incumbent mayor of the nation’s capital Manila. Gonzales served in the Gloria Arroyo administration as defense secretary and national security adviser. Lacson was police chief from 1999 to 2001 before being elected senator. Mangondato is a businessman. Marcos Jr is a former senator and son of ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos. Montemayor Jr is a doctor and lawyer. Pacquiao is a senator and world boxing champion. Robredo is a former congresswoman, who was elected vice president in 2016.

Abella is the former spokesperson of President Rodrigo Duterte although he is running as an independent. De Guzman is a socialist labor leader. Domagoso is the incumbent mayor of the nation’s capital Manila. Gonzales served in the Gloria Arroyo administration as defense secretary and national security adviser. Lacson was police chief from 1999 to 2001 before being elected senator. Mangondato is a businessman. Marcos Jr is a former senator and son of ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos. Montemayor Jr is a doctor and lawyer. Pacquiao is a senator and world boxing champion. Robredo is a former congresswoman, who was elected vice president in 2016.

Source: The Diplomat