Former Education commissioner Dr. Lawrence F. Camacho and former senator Edith Deleon Guerrero submitted their petitions for candidacy last Tuesday, Aug. 4, at the Commonwealth Election Commission, formally launching their independent bid for governor and lieutenant governor after leading supporters, relatives, and campaign volunteers in a road-waving event.
The filing came a day after Camacho's father died. Speaking before entering the CEC office, Camacho said his father had urged him to continue with the campaign despite the family's loss.
"My father passed away yesterday," Camacho said. "But one thing he said before he passed, as he looked at me straight in the eye, and he said, 'No matter what happens, you must continue on because this is something important, not just for him, for our family, but it is important for our Commonwealth.'"
Camacho said he made a promise to his father to continue.
"I pledged to him. I promised him that we will not stop. We will go on, and we will continue on," he said.
Before filing, Camacho thanked supporters and described the submission of the ticket's candidacy papers as another milestone in the campaign.
"And so with that, it's another milestone in getting to that place that we want to get to," he said. "And that is a place where there's an opportunity for all of us to be able to work together so that our Commonwealth can thrive."
Camacho said he and Deleon Guerrero were seeking to provide what they described as effective leadership if elected.
"My running mate Edith and I have committed to and have pledged to, is to provide that solid leadership for our government to be effective and efficient so that it can make the entire community thrive," he said.
After submitting their petitions, Camacho said the campaign would now focus on presenting its platform to voters and expanding support across the Commonwealth.
"We know we will do work from day one all the way to the end," he said. "The work will never stop."
Asked why he decided to seek the governor's office, Camacho said public service has long been part of his life.
"Service has always been in my bloodline," he said. "This movement that we're driving towards is that change that everyone is hoping for and praying for and demands."
Deleon Guerrero said she was pleased to have formally filed the ticket's candidacy.
"I'm just very excited that we finally reached this journey, filing our documents and making it official," she said.
She also expressed confidence in the independent ticket.
"We are very capable. We have the capacity. We have the network. We can definitely push forward and make it a better life," Deleon Guerrero said.
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