Comelec to post all COCs this week

MANILA, Philippines — The certificates of candidacy (COC) of all 44,000 aspirants for the May 2025 midterm elections are expected to be released this week for the public to check.

“By Wednesday or Thursday, you can now look also in the website of the Comelec and you are going to see all the 44,000 COCs of all the candidates, be it national or local,” Commission on Elections Chairman George Garcia said on Saturday.

“That is in the interest of transparency so that you will be able to find out who these candidates are,” he added.

Garcia said the Comelec intends to come out with the final list of national and local candidates either on or before Dec. 13.

The poll body, he added, would resolve all pending cases against nuisance bets by November.

“The petitions for disqualification or cancellation would take a longer time to resolve because it involves a lengthy process. It goes to the division then to the en banc before the presentation of evidence. At times, the process also needs a hearing,” Garcia said.

As for the printing of about 70 million ballots, including those for the Bangsamoro parliamentary polls, the Comelec expects the National Printing Office to have these all done within two months, or from December to January.