2 Manila lawmakers seek reelection

REELECTIONISTS Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua and Manila 6th District Rep. Benny Abante Jr. filed their certificates of candidacy (CoCs) for next year's midterm polls at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) office in San Juan City on Tuesday. Chua, running under Asenso Manileño, was in his second term. He is the chairman of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability. "I have proven the quality of my service. I would further improve it if given a fresh mandate as 3rd District representative," Chua said in Filipino. Abante, running under the National Unity Party (NUP), is the chairman of the House Committee on Human Rights. He first served as Manila sixth district representative from 2004 to 2010. Abante was given a second term after being reelected to the post in 2019. In Mandaluyong City, former lawmaker Alexandria Gonzales filed her CoC for Mandaluyong representative at the Comelec National Capital Region office on Tuesday. She was accompanied by her husband, Mandaluyong Rep. Neptali Gonzales II. "There is still so much work to be done, and I am dedicated to continuing the initiatives that have a direct impact on the lives of our constituents," she said. Running under NUP, Gonzales told reporters she was keen on focusing on legislation that would regulate artificial intelligence or AI. "I am thinking about AI, actually — regulation of the AI — because that's the problem we have in a very digital world. AI is being used for fake news," she said. Gonzales, a former television reporter, was Mandaluyong representative from 2016 to 2019. She was a former House deputy majority leader. Gonzales authored and co-authored several measures that led to the enactment of the Mental Health Law and the Universal Health Care Law. Quezon City 6th District Rep. Maria Victoria Co-Pilar, running under NUP, also filed her CoC for reelection on Tuesday. The 1987 Constitution grants House members a term of three years and a maximum of three consecutive terms.