Comelec posts online 7 COCs for special elections in Antipolo City
MANILA, Philippines — The certificates of candidacy (COCs) for the special elections in the second district of Antipolo City are now available on the website of the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
The Comelec published the COCs of seven candidates on its website on Thursday, as the campaign period for the special elections will run from February 12 to March 12. The elections will be held on March 14, in the second district of Antipolo City, following the death of Rep. Romeo Acop in December 2025.
READ: Comelec receives 7 COCs for March 14 special polls in Antipolo
The following candidates are running for the congressional position:
- Acop, Philip Conrad Marrero
- Cafirma, María Trinidad Galang
- Infante, Dandin Yanos
- Llaga, Reden Noble
- Lobigas, Nathaniel Adao
- Sumulong III, Lorenzo Juan Yu
- Tapales, Irvin Paulo Carrillo
(Link to the redacted COCs: https://comelec.gov.ph/?r=References/ComelecResolutions/SpecialElections/SpecialElection2ndLegislativeDistrictAntipoloCity/SE_Antipolo_COCCONA)
During the 2025 midterm elections, Sumulong garnered the most votes in the race for councilor with 98,048, while Tapales ranked eighth with 85,271.
Acop, the son of the late lawmaker, was nominated by National Unity Power (NUP). The late lawmaker was a long-time member of the NUP.
The National People’s Coalition nominated Sumulong, while the other five candidates are running as independents.
With this, Comelec Chairperson George Erwin Garcia on Friday emphasized the importance of discernment in choosing the right candidate for the position, as their COCs can be publicly scrutinized. Garcia said that the poll body will continue publishing the COCs of the candidates in future elections.
READ: After Alice Guo mess, Comelec to publish COCs, Conas for the first time
This is the second time the poll body published the COCs of candidates on its website, following the fiasco involving dismissed Bamban Mayor Alice Guo. Guo ran and won as mayor, but the poll body later ruled that her birth information stated in her COC was falsified. Under the Omnibus Election Code, only Filipino citizens can run for public office.
“Knowledge is power, they say. But knowledge is not enough, as it should be used to discern who the right leaders will be. That’s how being a true Filipino is,” Garcia said in a statement./coa
