Romeo Acop’s son Philip wins special election for House seat in Antipolo

MANILA, Philippines – Pediatrician Philip Acop will succeed his late father Rome Acop in Congress after winning the special election in Antipolo’s 2nd District on Saturday, March 14.

The Commission on Elections proclaimed him as the winner of the six-way race on Sunday, March 15, after manually tallying ballots from 348 clustered precincts.

Acop received 60,051 votes.

The former three-term councilor ran under the banner of the National Unity Party with the campaign slogan, “Alagang Acop, Alagang Angkop,” vowing to pursue legislation centered on health, education, agriculture, and livelihood.

Acop is pushing for the construction of a Department of Health-operated tertiary hospital in the city, as well as smart classrooms.

At the start of the election season, he faced six opponents, but incumbent Councilor LJ Sumulong withdrew his candidacy after a discussion with Acop and Antipolo Mayor Jun Ynares.

Sumulong and the Ynares dynasts of Rizal are from the Nationalist People’s Coalition.

Acop’s win continues the winning streak of the family in the district since 2010. His father served as district congressman from 2010 to 2019, and from 2025 until his death. His mother Resurreccion was also congresswoman from 2019 until her death in 2021.

The younger Acop will serve the remainder of his late father’s term until June 30, 2028. – Jia Erikah Fajardo/Rappler.com

Jia Erikah Fajardo is a journalism student at Colegio de San Juan de Letran-Manila and the features editor of its official student publication The LANCE. She is currently a Rappler intern.