Ex-DBM chief's son seeks Batanes congressional seat

Luis Andres Abad, son of former Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, filed his certificate of candidacy (COC) Thursday, 15 October, for the congressional seat of Batanes in the upcoming special election.

According to Commission on Elections (Comelec) records, Abad was the first aspirant to file his candidacy for the position previously held by his late mother, former Batanes Rep. Henedina Razon-Abad.

The filing period for the special election began Wednesday, 14 October, and will run until Friday, 16 October.

Comelec has advised prospective candidates to submit their COCs to the Office of the Provincial Election Supervisor in Barangay Kaychanarian, Basco, Batanes.

The poll body scheduled the special election for 28 November 2026 to fill the vacancy left by the death of Batanes Rep. Ciriaco Gato Jr. on 21 September.

The province has 13,138 registered voters, according to Comelec records.

The winning candidate will serve the remainder of Gato's term in the House of Representatives.