COTABATO CITY (PNA) – North Cotabato’s most bitter political rivals will no longer compete with each other in next year’s gubernatorial race in the province with the incumbent governor seeking the congressional seat instead of seeking reelection.

North Cotabato Gov. Jesus Sacdalan gave way to party mate Rep. Lala Talinio-Mendoza and decided to focus his eyes on the congressional seat in the first district of the province.

Sacdalan has announced the sudden change in his political plans just before his political adversary, Vice Gov. Emmanuel Piñol, filed his certificate of candidacy (CoC) for governor of North Cotabato.

Relatives of Sacdalan in Midsayap, a booming town in North Cotabato, said he decided to run for the congressional seat after realizing that while only three of the 17 mayors in the province back the aspiration of Piñol to become governor, more than 80 percent of the village chieftains in the province are ready to help campaign for the vice governor.

Sacdalan even have a nephew who is to run for mayor of Midsayap under Piñol’s ticket.

Piñol said Talinio-Mendoza, who is now in her last term, will also run for governor of Maguindanao.

“I don’t have any political quarrel with her so I guess our respective campaign will be done without mudslinging and will be based on issues and concerns besetting the province,” Piñol said of Talinio-Mendoza.

Talinio-Mendoza’s father, Roger, lost to Sacdalan during the 2007 gubernatorial race in the province.

Sacdalan and Piñol were running mates then, but parted ways early this year due to irreconcilable differences.

Piñol was accompanied by supporters when he filed Tuesday his candidacy for governor at the provincial office of the Commission on Elections in Kidapawan City.

When asked who among the presidentiables his group in the province would support come election time, Piñol said his group is still open to alliance with any political party or presidentiables.