ZAMBOANGA CITY–Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Antonio Kho Jr. has called on all political aspirants to file their Certificates of Candidacy (COCs) early to avoid any problem in the processing of documentary requirements.
Kho, a native of Sulu who grew up in this city, visited on Friday the local Comelec office to assess the ongoing filing of COCs by candidates here.
“Let us not wait for Wednesday, file as soon as possible (your COC), so that we can process it immediately,” Kho said. The period for the filing of COCs started on Thursday, October 11, and ends on Wednesday next week, October 17.
Kho said they have not recorded any untoward incidents since the first day of the filing of COCs in the different parts of the country.
He said Comelec has implemented measures “to make the filing of COCs a dignified one.”
“We try to avoid the circus-like filing of COCs and limited the number of people to enter into the office while a candidate submits his or her COCs,” he said.
Meanwhile, lawyer Stephen Roy Cañete, first district election officer, bared that so far, five aspirants have filed their COCs with the local Comelec office.
Cañete said one filed a COC for mayor while four others were for councilors in the first district of this city.
The local Comelec office remained open Friday despite being a non-working holiday in this city pursuant to Republic Act 7350.
October 12 of every year is a special non-working holiday in the city to allow the Zamboangueños to fittingly celebrate the feast day of Our Lady of the Pillar, the most revered saint here. (Teofilo Garcia, Jr/PNA)
