Lucy Torres enters Leyte congressional race

TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines – TV host and celebrity Lucy Torres-Gomez formally filed on Wednesday her Certificate of Candidacy (COC) for the congressional seat of Leyte’s Fourth District.

She filed her candidacy after the Commission on Elections (Comelec) en banc junked the petition of her husband Richard Gomez to reconsider its earlier decision disqualifying him from the congressional race in the province of Leyte last Tuesday.

Gomez was disqualified after the Comelec found that he had failed to establish Ormoc City as his permanent residence.

Torres-Gomez was accompanied by her husband when she went to the provincial office of the Commission on Elections in Tacloban City.

"Although we are not happy and we do not agree with the decision of the Comelec en banc, we have no plans to contest it before the Supreme Court. Our only way now to continue the fight is to let Lucy run as my substitute," Gomez said.
 
The couple's lawyer said that the substitution is legal after the Comelec en banc affirmed the decision disqualifying Gomez from Leyte’s congressional race.

"We would like to make it clear to the voters that Mr. Gomez's COC was not cancelled so Lucy is a legal substitute for Richard," Atty. Alex Avezado, the couple's legal adviser said. 
 
There was no need to print new ballots for Lucy since any vote for her husband would automatically be considered as a vote for her, the lawyer added.