Filing of candidacy for village, SK polls in Marawi starts

The office of the election officer in Marawi City on Thursday started accepting certificates of candidacy (COCs) for the September 22 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) polls in the war-torn capital of Lanao del Sur province.

Aspirants will have until August 30 to file their COCs, said Commission on Elections spokesperson James Jimenez.

He said candidates were given eight days to file their COCs “for practical considerations.”

“Traveling is difficult there because of the conditions … so, we want it to be easy for them as possible,” he said.

The commission en banc on January 31 resolved to defer the barangay and SK polls in Marawi because the city was still recovering from the destruction caused by the five-month war between government troops and groups loyal to the Islamic State last year. —TINA G. SANTOS