Day 4: And the ‘talents’ keep coming…

THE FOURTH day of the registration of candidates nearly turned into a talent show, with obscure senatorial aspirants providing entertainment as they filed their certificates of candidacy (COCs) in the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

Leonardo Bula, 41, a welder from Eastern Samar province, sang his platform to the tune of “Bikining Itim.”

Holding a copy of the Constitution, Bula said he would introduce legislation to eradicate laziness in government service.

Arsenio Dimaya, a 63-year-old retired instructor, did a song and dance number, interpreting Elvis Presley’s “It’s Now or Never” when asked by reporters what he would do during the campaign.

Another scene-stealer was Benjamin Handumon Jr., a 61year-old retired government employee from Misamis Occidental province. He said he planned to give priority to the agriculture sector to ease poverty. He sang “My Way” when requested by reporters to sing.

Florentino Baguio, 50, a former overseas Filipino worker, said he wanted to correct the functions of legislators. He said he believed lawmakers should only write laws and should not be given money from government funds.

“I will scrap the pork barrel, because the lawmakers’ job is to legislate the budget, not to spend the budget,” Baguio said.

Samson Alcantara, a 77-yearold lawyer from Abra province, is a nominee of the Social Justice Society, the same group that earlier pushed for the relocation of the oil depot of the big three oil companies in Pandacan, Manila.

Two men claiming to be from the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL), the party founded by the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos, also filed COCs to run for the Senate.

Virgilio Galang, a 52-year-old pastor and engineer, said his advocacy was the strengthening of the family’s foundation and faith in God.

“We should return to God, because faith in God is the foundation of national progress,” Galang said.

He said that if elected, he would teach the people to know God.

With Galang on the KBL ticket was 45-year-old businessman Leo Cadion of Pasay City who said he would enforce “change,” including rescinding the law on labor contractualization.

“We will remove the sixmonth contractual requirement for new workers,” Cadion said.

Asked if the Marcoses were supporting their campaign, Galang said there was no such arrangement. He said his religious organization had committed to fund his campaign.

Aside from Galang and Cadion, two other senatorial hopefuls earlier registered as KBL members.

They were 72-year-old lawyer Oliver Lozano and 61year-old broadcast journalist Melchor Chavez. They filed their COCs on Monday.