VILMA SANTOS, SONS LUIS, RYAN EYE BATANGAS POSTS IN 2025

FORMER Batangas Gov. Vilma Santos-Recto and her sons Luis “Lucky” Manzano and Ryan Recto on Thursday filed their respective certificates of candidacies (COCs) for various positions in Batangas province for the 2025 midterm elections.

The three filed their COCs at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) office at the Batangas Provincial Capitol.

They were accompanied by Santos’ husband Finance Secretary Ralph Recto and Manzano’s wife-actress Jessy Mendiola.

Santos-Recto is eyeing to return as Batangas governor while Manzano is running for vice governor.

Ryan is vying for the position of representative of the Batangas’ 6^th district, which was previously occupied by his mother.

Aside from being a former representative of the 6^th district of Batangas, Santos-Recto also served as governor of Batangas from 2007 to 2016 and mayor of Lipa City.

“Lucky was only 27 when I started working as mayor ng Lipa now he’s 43. Ngayon nandito sila, kung kami po ay papalarin, nandito po kami para magbigay ng serbisyo,” Santos-Recto said in a press conference at the Sampaguita Farm in Batangas City yesterday.

“We are offering our service.  Ito pong mga anak ko, we will continue to work as a team, as a family to make Batangas more beautiful, popular, and successful… that I promise to you we can be proud of,” she added.

The mother and her sons filed their COCs under the Nacionalista Party (NP).

Meanwhile, politicians in Batangas expressed their full support for Santos-Recto and her sons political bids.

Present during the presscon dubbed “Maunlad na Batangas sa Bagong Pilipinas” to throw their support to Santos-Recto and her sons were representatives from the first to six districts of Batangas led by Batangas 1^st congressional district Rep. Eric Buhain and Batangas 2^nd district Rep. Gerville Luistro, and mayors of the province.