Ex-solgen Hilbay to join 2019 Senate race
MANILA, Philippines — Law expert and former solicitor general Florin Hilbay confirmed he will run for senator next year.
In a Twitter post, Hilbay, a vocal critic of the Duterte administration, said he will seek a Senate seat to serve the people and fight for democracy.
Tayo po ay tatakbo para sa Senado bilang tugon sa hamon na pagsilbihan ang taumbayan & ipagpatuloy ang pagtanggol sa ating demokrasya.
— florin hilbay (@fthilbay) October 12, 2018
Simple lang: ANG TAMA, NILALABAN.
Ang prinsipyong ito ang pinakamatatag na pundasyon para protektahan & itaguyod ang kapakanan ng sambayanan.
Hilbay was part of a legal team that argued the Philippines’ landmark maritime case against China in closed court hearings in The Hague.
He is also one of the lawyers of detained opposition Sen. Leila de Lima, who was arrested last year on drug charges that she said were part of a presidential vendetta. — Ian Nicolas Cigaral
Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos, the eldest daughter of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, hints that she may run for Senate in next year's elections.
She says there's a 50-50 chance that she will run for a national position, possibly the Senate. She adds that she and her brother, former Sen. Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., have already been going around the country.
The Ilocos Norte governor says the Marcos family is already discussing plans for next year's elections as her brother's electoral protest is "taking forever and ever."
Defeated vice presidential candidate Bongbong has filed a poll protest after he lost to Leni Robredo by 263,473 votes in the May 2016 elections. — with a report from Romina Cabrera
Former presidential spokesman Harry Roque Jr. is withdrawing his bid for senator, he says on his Facebook page.
He says he is withdrawing because of health issues.
"I have recently undergone a percutaneous coronary intervention following the discovery of an unstable angina coronary disease earlier this week. In the days since the procedure, I have been forced to confront the reality of my physical situation and what it ultimately means for my aspirations to public service," he says.
Roque, a human rights lawyer before joining government, had initially said he was running as a party-list representative and would advocate passage of laws to protect the environment. Days later, he pushed through with filing a certificate of candidacy for senator.
The Commission on Elections released a preliminary list of aspirants for the 2019 midterm elections for possible correction of names.
The initial list included those who had been named in the poll body's law department petition to be declared nuisance candidates for senator.
"Hindi pa lahat yan, sure na pasok. For verification of accuracy lang yan - so that the candidates can correct misspellings or errors, if any," Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said on Twitter.
Below is the tentative list of candidates for senator in the 2019 elections.