SuAL, Pangasinan — A former councilor of Alaminos City will challenge the reelection bid of Sual Mayor Liseldo Calugay in the 2025 elections.

Arthur Celeste Jr., a former president of the local chapter of the Philippine Councilor' League, filed his certificate of candidacy (CoC) at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) office here at about 11 a.m.

The 27-year-old Celeste was accompanied by a crowd of supporters, who marched with him and his running mate, incumbent Vice Mayor JC Arcinue, from the nearby Saint Peter the Martyr Church to the town hall where the Comelec office is located.

"I'm very happy that many of my supporters are here. I did not expect this show of support, especially since it's a Saturday, the time when they normally spend their time with their families," said Celeste.

Asked if, during the campaign, he would raise Calugay's alleged romantic and business link with dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo, Celeste said, "No."

"Well, for me, what I want to focus on more is to work hard and to make my name known," Celeste said.

Celeste transferred residence from neighboring Alaminos City to this town last April after he resigned as city councilor.

Calugay was reported to be Guo's boyfriend, but they both denied being in a relationship, with Guo even claiming she did not know Calugay's full name.

Guo was dismissed last month as mayor of Bamban by the Office of the Ombudsman for grave misconduct.

The Ombudsman said Guo's close association with the raided Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) in Bamban town showed a "willful intent on her part to violate the law or disregard established rules.

Calugay filed his CoC on Thursday but refused to be interviewed by the local media.

Celeste, meanwhile, said that when he started going around the town in May, he found out that many of the town's villages had bad road roads.

"What I saw was that there were many roads that made it hard for our townmates to travel to the different parts of the town, especially during the rainy season," Celeste said.

"And yet, Sual is Pangasinan's richest town."

As the host of the 1,200-megawatt coal-fired power plant, Sual enjoys a windfall of business and other taxes from the plant.

According to the Commission on Audit, the town had P2.6 billion in assets in 2022.