Mike Defensor, Winnie Castelo file COCs for QC mayor, vice mayor

Anakalusugan Representative Mike Defensor and incumbent Councilor Winnie Castelo on Thursday filed their certificates of candidacy for mayor and vice mayor of Quezon City.

ANAKALUSUGAN Party List Rep. Mike Defensor, naghain na ng kandidatura para sa pagka-alkalde ng Quezon City. #Eleksyon2022 via @Isa_Umali pic.twitter.com/Tp8UUYkVlD

— DZBB Super Radyo (@dzbb) October 7, 2021

The tandem is running under the Malayang Quezon City coalition.

Defensor and Castelo will challenge incumbent Mayor Joy Belmonte and Vice Mayor Gian Sotto, who already filed their COCs on Tuesday under the Serbisyo sa Bayan party.

In a statement, Defensor said his supporters, reelectionist Quezon City Representatives Anthony Peter “Onyx” Crisologo, Precious Hipolito Castelo, and Allan Reyes were present during his filing.

Councilor Marvin Rillo, fourth district congressional candidate, and former Rep. Vincent “Bingbong” Crisologo, sixth district congressional candidate, also joined the group.

The coalition’s fifth district congressional aspirant, Rose Lin, who was earlier invited to the Senate hearing on the Department of Health's use of pandemic funds, was unable to attend Defensor’s filing due to quarantine after an exposure to a COVID-19 case.

Lin denied during the hearing that Pharmally Biological Inc, where she is a stockholder, is a sister company of the controversial Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation.

“We are very excited by the opportunity to serve and help improve the quality of life of our people,” Defensor said.—AOL, GMA News