Comelec bares last day filing procedures

MANILA, Philippines — The filing of the certificates of candidacy for the 2022 national and local elections is set to conclude at 5 p.m. on Friday, October 8.

Ahead of the filing, the Commission on Elections broke down the rules for the last day of filing.

Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said that according to Comelec Resolution No. 10717, aspirants in the queue at 4:45 p.m. would be allowed to file their respective COCs.

"If at 4:45 p.m. on the last day of the filing of COC — that’s tomorrow — there are still aspirants inside the designated queuing area intending to file their respective COCs, the receiving officer should first, list the name of the aspirants inside the designated queueing area; second, list the name of the aspirants consecutively indicating the time of listing and only those with complete COCs shall be listed," he said during a press briefing at the COC filing area Harbor Garden Tent of Sofitel Manila in Pasay City.

"In other words, doon pa lang sa queueing area iche-check na kung complete yung kanilang certificates of candidacy," he added.

Jimenez said these are the things that would render an COC incomplete:

• No documentary stamp attached
• No signature of the aspirant
• Not notarized or no signature of the notary public
• Incomplete address
• No photograph
• COC not completely filled out

After COCs are verified complete, the receiving officers will announce the names of these aspirants in the order that they arrived or in the order in which their names were listed.

Once the name is called, the aspirant shall proceed to the filing of the COC.

"Failure to appear when the name is called results in the non-acceptance of the COC," Jimenez warned.

"So, if you’re called, you have to come, otherwise your COC might not be accepted," he added.

The poll body official said the same procedure shall be observed if at 5 p.m. there are still aspirants inside and within 30 meters of the area.

"Puwede pa sila ma-accommodate," he said, adding that those would be considered to have been filed on time.

Meanwhile, those who wish to correct clerical and typographical errors of the names on the ballot can do so until November 8, which is the last day for requests for correction.