MANILA — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is anticipating a lot of work after the filing of Certificate of Candidacy (COC) ends on Friday.
Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said the seven-day filing period will be followed by the campaign period for the May 14 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections.
“We are anticipating that we will be more busy in the coming days since the filing period will end on Friday and immediately after that the campaign period will start,” he said in an interview.
After the COC filing period, Jimenez said that the COCs will be transferred to the central office for evaluation.
“We need to finish it within two weeks because we have to come up with the list of official candidates,” Jimenez said.
The Offices of Election Officer (OEOs), which accept COCs, will close at 5 p.m.
Meanwhile, the Comelec reported that as of 4:30 p.m., April 18, there are a total of 462,067 COCs filed for Barangay Elections while 181,296 COCs were filed for SK Elections.
Of the number, 57,528 COCs were filed for Barangay Chairman and 404,539 COCs for Kagawad. Those who filed for SK Chairman numbered 39,363 while 141,933 were for Kagawad. The data came from 1,557 cities and municipalities.
Meanwhile, the Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE) called on millennials to run for SK posts.
In a statement, LENTE Executive Director Atty. Ona Caritos said they are urging millennials to become more active leaders in their communities by running in the May 14 SK elections.
“We are calling on the youth to run in the upcoming SK elections to fill these positions,” said Caritos.
“It is time for the youth to take a more active role in the barangay as SK leaders,” she said
Under the Philippine election law, those who want to run in the SK polls must be 18 to 24 years old.
Other qualifications of SK bets are: being a citizen of the Philippines; a qualified voter of the Katipunan ng Kabataan (KK); a resident of the Barangay for not less than one year immediately preceding the day of the elections; able to read and write Filipino, English or the local dialect; must not have been convicted by final judgment of any crime involving moral turpitude; and must not be related within the second civil degree of consanguinity or affinity to any incumbent elected national official or to any incumbent elected regional, provincial, city, municipal, or barangay official, in the locality, where he or she seeks to be elected. (Ferdinand Patinio/PNA)
