Comelec urged to delay COC filing by one week

MANILA, Philippines — Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo yesterday called on the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to reset the original Oct. 1-5 deadline for the filing of certificates of candidacy (COCs) for the local and national elections on May 13 next year. 

House Majority Leader Rolando Andaya Jr. joined the Speaker in endorsing Concurrent Resolution 20, which seeks to postpone the scheduled filing of COCs for more than a week or to Oct. 11-17 due to the ongoing sessions in Congress that would last until Oct. 12. 

“To enable members of Congress to fully attend to their legislative duties and meet the deadline for the filing of COCs, it is imperative to reset the period for the filing of COCs at a later date,” read a portion of the two-page resolution.

Arroyo and Andaya said the basis of their sentiment is Concurrent Resolution 19 as laid out by their legislative calendar for the regular session of the 17th Congress, which provides that it shall hold its sessions on Aug. 28 to Oct. 12 and adjourn on Oct. 13 to Nov. 11. 

The House leaders reasoned out that the chamber is preoccupied with holding hearings on the proposed national budget for 2019 and “other priority measures that require their utmost and undivided attention.” 

Andaya said the COC deadline should be reset so that Congress can finish its job on time. 

The Senate adopted yesterday Concurrent Resolution No. 13 urging the Comelec to move the filing of COCs for the 2019 national and local elections from Oct. 1 to 5 this year to Oct. 11 to 17.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III, who introduced the resolution, said Congress would be in session until Oct. 12.

The resolution stated the legislative calendar for the regular session of the 17th Congress provides that it shall hold its session on Aug. 28, 2018 to Oct. 12, 2018 and adjourn on Oct. 12, 2018 to Nov. 11, 2018.

At the moment, the resolution explained, the House of Representatives and the Senate are deliberating the proposed 2019 General Appropriations Bill and other priority measures that “require their utmost and undivided attention.”

To enable members of Congress to fully attend to their legislative duties and meet the deadline for the filing of the COC for the 2019 national and local elections, the resolution said it is imperative that the period for filing of the certificates of candidacy be moved to a later date.

Already, five of the eight priority measures President Duterte wanted passed had their approval, while three others will hopefully be passed by the House before lawmakers go on break on Oct. 13. 

Among the vital pieces of legislation that the House passed were the Coconut Levy Fund, End of Contractualization, Rice Tariffication, Universal Health Care and the National Land Use Act. 

At least one commissioner of the Comelec has assured Congress that its sentiments regarding the deadline for filing of COCs for the May 2019 election would be taken into account by the commission.

Comelec Commissioner Marlon Casquejo recently told the Commission on Appointments that a draft resolution prepared by the Comelec set the filing of COCs on Oct. 1 to 5. 

“Maybe we can talk it over in the en banc and maybe we can adjust it to the calendar of the Senate and Congress. We have yet to issue a calendar of activities,” Casquejo said. – With Marvin Sy, Paolo Romero