ORDERLY. Senatorial hopefuls file their certificates of candidacy on the first day of filing period on Tuesday (Oct. 1, 2024). The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said the opening day of filing has been so far orderly. (Photo by Yancy Lim)
MANILA – The start of the eight-day filing of certificate of candidacy (COC) for the 2025 national and local elections (NLE) has been so far orderly, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said Tuesday.
“Kahit sa monitoring natin sa NCR (National Capital Region) at buong bansa, maayos ang nagiging filing of certification. Medyo matumal dahil unang araw, nagbabantayan ang magkakalaban or ‘yong iba ay ipagpapabukas nalang (Even in our monitoring in the NCR and the rest of the country, the filing of certification is orderly. The flow is quite slow but that is expected, the aspirants might be waiting for other aspirants),” Comelec Chairperson George Garcia said in an interview.
Garcia said ample security measures are in place in Northern Luzon, Bangsamoro region, and Metro Manila and that law enforcement agencies are ready to deploy more if the need arises.
“So far, so good po. Walang untoward incident (there is no untoward incident),” he said.
“Sana ganoon lang, mapanatili natin hanggang a-otso ng Oktubre dito sa atin sa national and local, at sa atin naman sa Bangsamoro, sana mapanatili din natin ang katahimikan sa November 4 to 9 (Hopefully, it stays that way until Oct. 8 for the national and local, and from Nov. 4 to 9 for Bangsamoro)."
The COC filing for the 2025 polls began exactly at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, and will run until 5 p.m. on Oct. 8.
The period for COC filing for the Bangsamoro parliamentary elections, on the other hand, was moved to Nov. 4 to 9 following the Supreme Court decision to exclude Sulu from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
The Comelec said it will set up a satellite venue in Maguindanao del Norte as an alternative for aspirants filing their COCs.
The first senatorial aspirant to file his COC on Tuesday was AGRI Party-list Rep. Wilbert Lee followed by the Kabayan party-list and a first-timer senatorial hopeful David Paul Chan.
Some of the aspirants, majority are running independent, promised to bring about change and solutions to the ills besetting the country and advance interests of various groups from content creators, pet owners, to small business owners, among others.
Norman Marquez, an independent Senatorial aspirant, said he will push for a legislation that safeguards the welfare of the animals and their owner, and at the same time penalizes pounds committing animal cruelty.
“We need to stop the oppressive conditions in the animal pounds, first of all, and then help the pet owners become responsible —not penalize them and not kill the pets,” he said.
Vlogger Marc Gambao said he is running for senator to represent his fellow content creators and freelancers at the Senate, and to advance additional capital and support for these groups.
Gambao added he would introduce novel initiatives such as a “Fake News Monitoring Office” and the formulation of a National Social Media Plan to promote Philippine tourism, companies, brands, and artists.
One of the early filers, electrician Alexander Encarnacion, who had been declared a nuisance candidate in the last elections, said he would propose a way to address and detect corruption and crime real-time, which he would call “Laserco Super Fortress”.
The other Senatorial aspirants who filed their COCs as of this posting are Joey Montemayor, Janice Padilla, Joseph Dee, Najar Salih, Sen. Francis Tolentino, Daniel Magtira, Happy Lubarbio, Phil Delos Reyes, and Miguelino Caturan. (PNA)
