Survey leader ACT-CIS Partylist Rep. Erwin Tulfo led the small group of political figures who filed their certificate of candidacy for senator in the 2025 midterm national and local elections at the Tent City of the Manila Hotel on Sunday.

Tulfo, who is also House deputy majority leader, was one of the first Cabinet members of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. who tapped him as secretary of the Department of Social Work and Development.

He was not confirmed by the Commission on Appointments and but was able to go to the House of Representatives being a nominee of ACT-CIS partylist.

Tulfo led the pre-election surveys of the Social Weather Stations and OCTA Research. His brother, Ben, filed his certificate of candidacy for senator on Saturday.

Ben Tulfo was recent in the recent OCTA Research survey. If both are elected, that would make it three Tulfo brothers in the Senate.

''Do we want 1 Tulfo, 2 Tulfos 3 Tulfos? Do we want 1 Duterte, 2 Dutertes, 3 Dutertes? I Marcos, 2 Marcoses, 3 Marcoses? We let the people decide. The power is with the people because we don't have a law,'' said ACT-CIS Partylist Rep. Erwin Tulfo.

Senator Pia Cayetano, who led a group of 150 bikers to the Manila Hotel, filed her certificate of candidacy. She is running under the Nacionalista Party.

Rolando Macasaet stepped down as president and chief executive officer of the Social Security System Sunday, to join the SSS-GSIS Pensyonado partylist group. The group filed their certificate of nomination and certificate of acceptance.

A total of 76 persons have filed their certificates of candidacy for senator while 87 groups have sought to run as partylists since the Commission on Elections (Comelec) began accepting these on October 1.

Comelec chairman George Garcia said the poll body is bracing for a big influx of filers on Monday and on Tuesday, the last day.

He said the Comelec will accept the certificates past the 5 pm deadline as long as the candidates are inside the Manila Hotel. DMS