Betty Nantes, Sam Nantes, Toby Tanada, Irvin Alcala, and Vice Governor Vicente Kulit Alcala

LUCENA CITY – The political bets for the top posts in Quezon province just get younger with the filing of candidacies of sons of political pros for the coming May 2012 polls.

Cong. Irvin Alcala, son of agriculture Sec. Proceso Alcala, and Samuel Nantes, only son of the late Quezon Gov. Rafael Nantes, filed their Certificates of Candidacy for governor and vice governor last Friday under the banner of the Liberal Party, accompanied by other partymates led by incumbent Vice Gov. Vicente ‘Kulit’ Alcala, after hearing a mass at the St. Jude Church in Bgy. Cotta here.

Alcala, 35, assured the local media that there will be no substitution of their candidacies with Sam, 25, as speculations continue that eventually his father, Sec. Alcala, will be the standard bearer of the LP in Quezon and lead the gubernatorial race against incumbent reelectionist Gov. David ‘Jayjay’ Suarez.

“Tahasan kong sinasabi, walang mangyayaring switching, at talagang kami ni Sam ay patuloy na sa pag-ikot sa ating lalawigan bilang patunay ng aming totohanang paglaban para sa pamahalaang panglalawigan ng Quezon sa halalan sa susunod na taon,” said the young Alcala who took his father’s place when the latter quit after his 2^nd term as 2^nd District congressman in 2010 to help in the presidential campaign of then Sen. Benigno Aquino III.

Sam, appointed DILG asst. sec.  by Pres. Aquino,  said the same vowing to continue the legacy of service left by his father who died in a helicopter crash barely 2 weeks after the May 2010 polls.

Months before, it was bruited about that Vice Gov. Alcala and Sam’s mother, PCSO director Betty, will lead the LP in Quezon, with the former being the LP provincial chairman, as most likely to be the standard bearer of the LP in Quezon, and the latter, his runningmate.

But the vice governor, underwent a kidney transplant operation early this year and the alleged uncertainty of his health condition prompted his younger brother, Sec. Alcala, to ask him to step back and run for 2^nd Dist. Congressman instead.

The vice governor, who has been preparing for his gubernatorial run since their political rift with Gov.  Suarez last year, reluctantly yielded for his nephew.

Both the young Alcala and Nantes are up in the gubernatorial and vice gubernatorial fight against the 35 yr. old Suarez, (National Unity Party) and his runningmate, Shiela Talaga (United Nationalist Alliance), who surprised political observers here when she was the one who filed on Friday her COC for vice governor instead of her husband, 2^nd District board member Romano Talaga.

Board Member Talaga – son of the incumbern Lucena city mayor  Ruby Talaga and ex-Mayor Ramon Talaga Jr. – who has long been widely reported to be gunning for vice gubernatorial post, opted not to run.

The young Suarez filed his own COC on Friday afternoon accompanied by his mother, Aleta, who decided to run anew for congress (Lakas) in Quezon’ 3^rd District – Surez’ political bailiwick  – after the 3^rd and last term of  Cong. Danilo Suarez, the House minority leader.

Mrs. Suarez is up against LP congressional bet, lawyer Shiela De Leon, and ex-governor Eduardo Rodriguez who is running as an independent.

In other congressional district races in Quezon, reelectionist Cong. Mark Enverga (NPC) is expected to breeze through with a congressional rival from the camp of out-going Lucban Mayor, Bonbon Villasenor in the 1^st district; in the 2^nd Dist., vice gov. Alcala will be up in a 4-cornered fight with 3 ladies, Mrs. Talaga (UNA), ex-congresswoman Lynnette Punzalan (Independent) and Keigoutina Suarez (Lakas); while in the 4^th Dist., Wigberto Tañada Jr., son of his namesake father and brother to last termer Cong. Lorenzo ‘Erin’ Tañada III, is facing a  challenge from Dra. Angelina “Helen” Tan, wife of former 4^th Dist. Quezon-DPWH chief Ronnel Tan. (Another congressional bet filed his CoC right on the dot on Friday, Oct. 5, 2012, from the Lapiang Manggawa, a native of Gumaca, Quezon and scion of the well-entrenched Tanada Family, businessman Alvin S. Tanada).

Meanwhile, in Lucena city mayoralty and vice mayoralty race, the LP is fielding vice mayor Rhoderick Alcala as mayor with his runningmate Philip Castillo as against comebacking ex-mayor Ramon Talaga with his young son as running mate, city councilor Ramil Talaga.