Comelec: 500K bets seen filing COCs for 2025 polls
AS many as half a million individuals are projected to run in the May 2025 national, local, and Bangsamoro polls and file their Certificates of Candidacy (COCs) from October 1 to 8, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday said.
In a phone interview, Comelec chairman George Garcia said there are 18,279 positions to be filled up during next year’s polls.
Based on Resolution No. 11050, 12 seats will be for contention at the Senate, 254 for congressional district representatives, and 63 for party-list representatives.
At the provincial level, to be contested are 82 seats for governors, 82 seats for vice governors, and 800 seats for provincial board members.
The Comelec also said there are 149 seats for mayors, 149 seats for vice mayors, and 1,682 seats for councilors at the city level.
Down to the municipal level, up for grabs will be 1,493 seats for mayor; 1,493 seats for vice mayor; and 11,948 seats for councilors.
There will also be 32 seats for parliament members and 40 seats for party-list representatives at the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
TRANSFER OF COC FILING VENUE
With the COC filing period set from October 1 to October 8, the Comelec has set a deadline for the filing of requests for the transfer of venues.
Based on Resolution No. 11043, requests to transfer the venue for the filing of COCs shall be filed not later than September 20, 2024.
“The Election Officer (EO), Provincial Election Supervisor (PES), or the Regional Election Director of the National Capital Region (RED – NCR), as receiving officers of COCs, may file a request for transfer of venue for the filing of COCs,” said the Commission.
It said the requests for transfer may be done due to security concerns of aspirants, security concerns of Comelec employees and workers, insufficient or limited office space, or any other grounds as may be approved by the poll body.
For venues proposed to host the COC filing activities, the Comelec said they should be located in a public building or, if none is available, in a private building, provided that they are not owned, leased, or occupied by any incumbent official or any person, who is related to any incumbent official
