Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte and her main challenger Mike Defensor trade jabs right away as the official campaign period for local candidates begins. PHVote WeDecide
MANILA, Philippines – On the first day of the official start of the local campaign period, the two leading candidates for the mayoral race in Quezon City held nothing back in a contest that’s proving to be among the ones to watch out for in the metro.
Her challenger, Anakalusugan Representative Mike Defensor, has long criticized Belmonte’s handling of the pandemic. As the incumbent’s challenger, his campaign is hinged on calling for a referendum – of Belmonte’s governance and COVID-19 response. “Ang problema sa libel, ‘di ako takot doon, pero can you imagine, for example, isang mahirap nag-react sa Facebook, fifile-an ko dahil ‘di ko ginusto ang sinabi. Whether tama or mali ako, piya-piyansa ‘yung tao eh, ‘pag pinayagan ng korte. So dapat ‘di ganoon, ‘wag balat-sibuyas,”Defensor’s stance is close to that of advocates who are calling for the decriminalization of libel, which in turn is linked to calls for media freedom.
That Belmonte brought what many consider a national issue into a local race may be surprising to some but perhaps not to close observers. With ABS-CBN based in Quezon City, many of its former and current employees are residents of the vote-rich city. The two, despite 2022 being their first head-to-head race, have been on opposing sides in the past. Defensor ran against former mayor Herbert Bautista in 2016, when Belmonte was still gunning for reelection as Bautista’s vice mayor. In 2019, Belmonte’s bid for city hall was challenged by Bingbong Crisologo, who is now running to be the city’s 6th District representative under Defensor’s slate.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Saavedra prefers ‘personal campaigning’ in his bid for Cebu City mayorCEBU CITY, Philippines — Anti-graft and corruption advocate, Crisologo Saavedra Jr., is taking his mayoral bid in Cebu City to a different path. Instead of a typical campaign trail of
Read more »
Woman of 90 and daughter flee Ukrainian city of Chernihiv just in timeSoon after they left this week, Russian bombing destroyed a bridge linking Chernihiv to Ukraine's capital, Kyiv. Local officials say it is now impossible to evacuate civilians or to bring in humanitarian supplies.
Read more »
How a female teacher became a firefighter in Cebu CityCEBU CITY, Philippines — It must have been fate.That was one way to describe how Fire Officer 1 (FO1) Novie Dagcuta found herself in the male-dominated business of putting out fires and
Read more »
'Tumandok' vs 'pangayaw' in heated Bacolod City mayoralty raceNatives versus interlopers and tradition versus change were the main political themes as thousands turned out for the kickoff campaign rallies of Bacolod City Mayor Evelio “Bing” Leonardia and his opponent, billionaire Alfredo “Albee” Benitez. PHVote
Read more »
'Tumandok' vs 'pangayaw' in heated Bacolod City mayoral raceChallenger Albee Benitez brings in rock star Bamboo as he hammers on the need for ‘change’
Read more »
Cebu City gov’t keen to hold another concertCEBU CITY, Philippines - Despite concerns on health, safety, and crowd control, the Cebu City Government is inclined to hold another concert here.This time, it will be in the South Road Properties
Read more »