Mayor Vicente Tayam, Jr. of Gigmoto, Catanduanes confirmed that his opponent, former mayor Armando T. Guerrero, withdrew his Certificate of Candidacy. In an interview with Radyo Peryodiko, Guerrero withdrew through a Special Power of Attorney on October 11, three days after the COC filing deadline.
Guerrero initially filed his candidacy on October 7 at the Comelec office in Gigmoto. According to Mayor Tayam, they did not have any discussions or agreements regarding Guerrero’s withdrawal. The mayor speculated that Guerrero may have considered his third term as mayor and decided to wait until his current term ends.
It is remembered that Mayor Tayam was the last opponent to defeat the former mayor and has consistently been his rival in the past two elections. Despite this, Mayor Tayam expressed gratitude for the former mayor’s decision.
According to Comelec records, two municipalities in Catanduanes have uncontested mayoral races, including Mayor Cesar Robles of Panganiban, while a vice mayor in Viga, incumbent Mayor Emeterio Tarin, is also uncontested. (Bicol Peryodiko Newsteam)
