NEGROS ORIENTAL — Rey Lopez, a retired Philippine Navy officer and supporter of the late Governor Roel Degamo, filed his certificate of candidacy (COC) on Tuesday for the third district Congressional seat of Negros Oriental.
According to Philippines News Agency, acting provincial election supervisor of Negros Oriental, Lopez completed all filing requirements at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) provincial office without incident before noon. Running as an independent, Lopez is closely associated with the late governor and his widow, Pamplona Mayor Janice Degamo. In the May 2022 elections, Lopez, a member of the Philippine Military Academy Class of 1992, ran for the same seat but was defeated by Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr., who was expelled from the Lower House for various reasons, including absenteeism and overstaying his official leave.
Teves, who is also implicated in the assassination of Governor Degamo, vacated the post, prompting the need for the special polls. Lopez is the first and, so far, the only candidate to have filed his COC for the special election set on December 9, approved by the Comelec en banc. Labaria announced the extension of the COC filing period to November 11 to allow potential candidates sufficient time to complete the necessary documents. The election period will commence on November 9, incorporating many prohibitions from previous elections.