Acop son’s win faces DQ challenge

Will the son prove himself cut from the same cloth?

Dr. Philip Acop, son of the late Antipolo City 2nd District Rep. Romeo Acop, won the special election to fill the congressional seat vacated by his father.

Acop was proclaimed the new representative of Antipolo’s second district after securing a landslide victory in the special election held on 14 March.

But his closest rival, Reden Llaga, has filed a petition before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) seeking to suspend Acop’s proclamation, citing a pending disqualification case against him.

In reaction, Comelec chairman George Garcia said authorities found no irregularities in the conduct of the special election, noting that police and military personnel were deployed to polling precincts.

Acop garnered 60,051 votes in the six-way race, far ahead of Llaga, who received 12,054 votes.

Members of the District Board of Canvassers — Atty. Joseph Vega, Atty. Marie Elvira Herrera and Ms. Lerma Flanez — signed the certificate of canvass and the proclamation of the winning candidate.

‘Electioneering’

In a statement posted on Facebook, Llaga’s lawyer, Mark Tolentino, said the camp filed a petition for disqualification against Acop over alleged prohibited campaign practices and illegal electioneering.

“We have also received reports that some teachers who served as election officers refused to sign voters’ protest certificates without a clear reason,” Tolentino said in Filipino.

“These incidents will be documented and reviewed to determine if there is any liability under election laws,” he added. “We are leaving it to the Commission on Elections to properly hear and resolve these issues in accordance with the law.”

Acop thanked the voters who supported his candidacy.

“To those who came out last night and supported us, thank you very much. Tonight, our district once again has a voice in Congress,” Acop said.

“You can expect that I will carry your struggles and aspirations with me to Congress, and I will not disappoint you,” he added.

Six candidates contested the special election for Antipolo City’s 2nd District seat: Dandin Infante, Llaga, Ma. Trinidad Galang, Philip Conrad Acop, Nathaniel Lobigas and Irvin Paulo Tapales.

Ace prober

The winner’s father carved a reputation as a fiery legislator who used his storied law enforcement background in ferreting out the truth from witnesses during congressional probes.

Acop said Antipolo City Mayor Casimiro “Jun” Ynares III may administer his oath of office on Monday, 16 March.

The special election was held to fill the vacancy for the remainder of the 20th Congress following the death of the elder Acop on 20 December 2025.

The elder Acop died of a heart attack shortly after recovering from a kidney transplant.