The incumbent mayor of the National Capital Region’s most populous city will seek a second term against a party-list congressman.

Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte is expected to face off with Anakalusugan Rep. Mike Defensor in the 2022 polls.

Belmonte filed her certificate of candidacy (COC) on Tuesday with Gian Sotto, the current vice mayor, at the Commission on Elections office at the Eton Centris building.

Defensor already announced his intention to run as mayor with Councilor Winnie Castelo as his running mate.

Defensor has stirred controversy with his distribution of Ivermectin, which he said can cure Covid-19 but experts have yet to approve its use against the dreaded respiratory disease.

Belmonte, running under the Serbisyo sa Bayan party, said if she wins again, she will continue efforts to revive the city’s economy affected by the pandemic.

“My other priority includes housing and security of land tenure for our QCitizens, as part of the overall 14-point agenda that our administration has outlined,” Belmonte said in a statement.

Her 14-point agenda for the city of about 2.9 million people include human and social services, economic development, environment, and climate change, infrastructure, and institutional development. (PNA)