CATBALOGAN CITY, Philippines—Samar State University’s Samar Island Center for Good and Local Governance (SICGLG), in collaboration with the Institutional Human Research Ethics Committee (IHREC) and the Office of the University Publications (ODPUB), staged the interview sessions for TIUNOB: Marking the 2025 Elections, a pre-election interview of local political aspirants in the Samar Province and Catbalogan City aimed to provide a platform for informed discourse and public engagement ahead of the 2025 Philippine general election.
SSU interviewed eight aspirants slated for the May 2025 midterm elections. These interviewees include Atty. Alexander P. Bolok and Hon. Beethoven M. Bermejo, who are among the candidates vying for board member positions in the 2nd District of Samar Province. Meanwhile, the pursuit of leadership roles in the City of Catbalogan involves Mr. Michael M. Mackinly, who is running for city mayor, and city councilor aspirants Mr. Christian Jay D. Jalayahay, Mr. Benito P. Tambal, Atty. Edgar ‘Gado’ Navales, Mr. Jason Marc M. Perez, and Mr. Ananias R. Chua.
The organizing units divided each interview session into three segments. The first segment, ‘Panindugan,’ allowed the aspirants to disclose their stance on current issues (i.e., the absolute divorce bill, comprehensive sexuality education, confidential funds, term extension of Barangay Officials, same-sex marriage, political dynasty, Expanded Tertiary Education Equivalency and Accreditation Program, Supreme Court ruling allowing commercial fishers in municipal waters, mandatory random drug testing for elected and appointed government officials, and Oplan Tokhang).
The second segment, ‘Panginlabot,’ delved into the aspirants’ viewpoints and proposed solutions on pressing local issues. Topics included the polarizing concerns surrounding the Maharlika Highway in Samar, the Samar province’s poverty incidence, the rising case of HIV in Catbalogan City, the debated implementation of the Ayuda para sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP), and the committee they aim to oversee if elected to office. Finally, the third segment, ‘Pangampanya,’ allowed the aspirants to introduce themselves and their platforms.
SSU is set to release the individual interviews in May 2025 through its official social media platforms.
(Note: The electoral candidates referenced in this article do not represent all aspirants to the regional and local elections. The interviewees mentioned are those who accepted the invitation to participate in the TIUNOB interviews.)