MMDA chief declares Senate bid, will quit October 16

MANILA, Philippines - Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Francis Tolentino yesterday declared his bid for the Senate in next year’s elections.

He will resign as MMDA head on Oct. 16 and President Aquino would need to look for a replacement, especially now that the government is in the thick of preparations for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders’ Summit in November.

The filing of certificates of candidacy for the 2016 elections is from Oct. 12 to 16.

Aside from Tolentino, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima has also bid her department goodbye for a Senate run and may be replaced by Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Benjamin Caguioa.

During the 2015 National Assembly of the Liga ng mga Barangay sa Pilipinas in Pasay City on Monday, De Lima said there were still many things that she wanted to do but five years were simply “too short” to really improve the delivery of justice at the grassroots level.

De Lima appealed to the village leaders to help her in her bid to address all the problems of the justice system.

Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) director general Joel Villanueva, former energy secretary Jericho Petilla and former presidential assistant for food security and agricultural modernization Francis Pangilinan are also said to be running for senator. – With Mike Frialde