Rep. Wilbert Lee first to file Senate candidacy

Agri party-list Rep. Wilbert T. Lee shows his filed certificate of candidacy (COC) for senator at the Manila Hotel tent on Tuesday, October 1, 2024. Lee was the first senatorial aspirant to file his COC before the Commission on Elections (Comelec). INQUIRER.net/John Eric Mendoza

MANILA, Philippines — Agri party-list Rep. Wilbert Lee is the first senatorial aspirant to file his certificate of candidacy (COC) before the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

Lee lodged his COC at around 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, October 1, at the Manila Hotel tent – one of the Comelec-designated areas for the filing of COCs for the May 2025 polls.

READ: Bets have until Oct. 8 to file COCs

Dozens of Lee’s followers, carrying banners and placards, flocked to the front of the hotel to show their support for the incumbent congressman.

Lee, a multibillionaire businessman, won a House seat in 2022, representing farmers and fisherfolk.

READ: Tensions flare at House as Wilbert Lee grabs mic during budget talks

More than 18,270 national and local posts are up for grabs in next year’s midterm elections.

Political aspirants have until October 8 to file their respective COCs before the Comelec.

Of the 18,272 political posts, 12 seats are for senators, 254 for members of the House of Representatives, 63 for party lists, and 75 for the Bangsamoro parliament.