Manila Mayor officially joins 2022 presidential race

Manila, Oct 4 (IANS) Manila Mayor Francisco Domagoso on Monday filed his certificate of candidacy to run for May 2022 presidential elections in the Philippines.Domagoso, 46, popularly known by his celebrity nickname Isko Moreno, and his running-mate Willie Ong, a doctor with more than 16 million followers on Facebook, filed their certificates of candidacy at the Commission on Elections, reports Xinhua news agency.The mayor of the Philippine capital will run under the political party Aksyon Demokratiko, of which he is the President.According to a recent survey published by Pulse Asia, 13 per cent of the Filipino respondents expressed support for Domagoso as a "probable" presidential candidate. Monday's development comes two days after incumbent President Rodrigo Duterte announced his retirement from politics, adding that he will not contest for Vice President in 2022 elections.Meanwhile, his former long-time aid and Senator Christopher Go, 47, has his candidacy for Vice President. On October 1, Filipino boxing icon and Senator Manny Pacquiao became to first candidate to file his official certificate, just days after he announced his retirement from boxing.The May 9, 2022 elections will elect the President, Vice President, half of the 24-member Senate, members of the House of Representatives, and other local officials.Candidates have until Friday to file their official certificates to contest the polls.
--IANS ksk/

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