Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, a graduating senator, has filed his Certificate of Candidacy (CoC) as the representative of Marikina’s 1st District.

Pimentel, accompanied by his wife, Ma. Anna Kathryna Pimentel, the country’s special envoy to the United Arab Emirates for trade and investment, filed his CoC in San Juan City on Sunday.

He is set to challenge incumbent Marikina Mayor Marcelino “Marcy” Teodoro in the upcoming 2025 midterm elections. Teodoro formalized his bid for the same position a day earlier.

According to Pimentel, Teodoro’s move surprised him, as the mayor had promised to vie for the city’s second district.