500,000 poll bets vying for 18,271 posts

MANILA, Philippines — Some half a million candidates are expected to run in the May 2025 midterm elections and the first-ever Bangsamoro parliamentary elections.

“With the 18,271 positions to be filled, easily we can have 500,000 aspirants,” Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Garcia said yesterday.

Of the total vacancies up for grabs, 12 are for senators, 254 for members of the House of Representatives of legislative districts and 63 for party-list representatives.

There are 82 seats for governors as well as vice governors, 800 for members of Sangguniang Panlalawigan or provincial councils and a total of 149 positions for city mayors and vice mayors.

For members of Sangguniang Panglungsod, there are 1,682 vacancies while 1,492 slots are open for both municipal mayors and vice mayors.

There are also 11,948 seats for members of Sangguniang Bayan.

In the first Bangsamoro parliamentary elections, there are 40 seats for members of registered regional political parties and 32 for members of the parliamentary districts.

The Comelec has set a Sept. 20 deadline in the filing of a request to transfer the venue for the filing of the certificate of candidacy (COC).

The election officer (EO) shall file the request for transfer of venue for filing of the COC, with the provincial election supervisor.

The PES may also request the regional election director (RED) for the transfer of the filing of the COC.

The RED in the National Capital Region (NCR) may file a request for transfer of venue before the deputy executive director for operation (DEDO).

The Comelec, however, stressed that the venue for filing of the COC shall be located within the jurisdiction of the receiving office.

“The venue for filing the COC shall not be located within the perimeter or inside a military or police camps or reservation or within a prison compound,” the poll body said.

Any registered voter may oppose any petition for the transfer of venue for the filing of the COC.

The transfer of the venue for the filing of the COC may be requested due to security concerns of aspirants and the poll employees, according to the Comelec.

The venue of the filing of the COC may also be transferred due to