Filing of certificates of candidacy officially begins today – Comelec
TACLOBAN CITY- The political season officially begins today as candidates are expected to troop to the local offices of the Commission on Elections across the region to file their certificates of candidacy.
And this early, the Comelec offices are bracing for the big number of candidates who will join in next year’s elections considering that presidential candidates will be fielding their own local bets, lawyer Jose Nick Mendros, Comelec-8 regional director, said.
“But I have already instructed our local election officers through their provincial elections supervisors to be ready in accepting those candidates who will file their certificates of candidacy,” Mendros said.
According to the Comelec-8 director, the filing of the certificates of candidacy for those who will be seeking various elective posts up for grabs in the 2010 general elections will start today and end on the midnight of December 1.
Here in the region, at stake for the 2010 elections are six positions for governors; six positions for vice governors; 12 for congressional posts; 56 for provincial board members; 143 for mayors; 143 for vice mayors and more than 1,400 seats for city and municipal councils.
Mendros explained that the local Comelec offices will be accepting those who will file their CoCs beginning today up to November 30 from eight am up to 5 p.m. “We are open even during Nov. 30 which is a holiday,” Mendros said.
Bonifacio Day is celebrated on this day. But on the last day of filing of the CoCs, Dec.1, Comelec offices are open up to 12 midnight. It is on the last day of the filing of CoCs that candidates normally came into droves to the Comelec offices.
“But we are encouraging our candidates to file their CoCs as early as possible and not to wait for the deadline,” Mendros said.
Candidates seeking for provincial and congressional positions are to file their certificates of candidacy before the six provincial Comelec offices while those seeking for the mayoralty, vice mayoralty and council seats are to file their CoCs before the 143 local Comelec offices, Mendros said.
“We expect that it will be peaceful,” the Comelec-8 director said, when asked his assessment on the first day of the filing of the CoCs.
However, Mendros admitted that this early there could be areas in the region which may be declared as under their control due to poor peace and order situation.
Their office is still in the process of assessing the peace and order situation report submitted to their office by the regional office of the Philippine National Police, Mendros added.
Meantime, Mendros said that they are to conduct a simultaneous training among teachers who will serve during the May 2010 elections which will be the first time that the country will be staging using automated machines.
Mendros said that he already received an initial information from their central office that the training for those who will compose the board of elections inspectors, who are mostly teachers, has been set either on March or April.
But for those in Leyte, the two-day training will be held in Tacloban, Ormoc and Baybay; in Samar, it will be in Calbayog and Catbalogan. Those who reside in Biliran, the training will be conducted in Naval while it will be in Maasin for those in Southern Leyte.
Borongan will serve as the venue for those in Eastern Samar and it will be in Catarman for those from Northern Samar. (JOEY A. GABIETA)
Read More on Leyte Samar Daily Express
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