COC filing ends: What’s next for political aspirants?

Filing the certificate of candidacy  is only half the battle.

As the Commission on Elections (Comelec) officially ended the filing of the certificates of candidacy (COC) and the certificates of nomination and acceptance (CONA) for partylist nominees on Wednesday, what’s next for the electoral hopefuls?

The poll body’s office was closed at exactly 5 p.m. by Commissioners Rowena Guanzon and Marlon Casquejo.

Candidates vying for all positions in the May 2019 midterm polls will now have to wait until December 15 for the release the final list of candidates from the Comelec.

A total of 151 COCs for senators were received during the weeklong exercise at the Comelec headquarters in Intramuros, Manila. Meanwhile, 185 applications were received for partylist nominees.

Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez noted that this number is lower than the previous filing of COCs, with 174 and 213 aspirants recorded, respectively.

According to Comelec procedures, the poll body would review the qualifications of all the candidates who filed their COCs. The review will first be conducted by its Law Department, then by the Comelec en banc before it releases the final list.

A candidate for public office must be a natural born Filipino citizen, a registered voter, and must be able to read and write. He or she must also be a resident of the country for at least one year prior to election day.

Guanzon said the financial status of a candidate should not be the sole basis for declaring a political aspirant as a ‘nuissance candidate.’

Once the list is finalized, the official candidates for senator and party-list representatives will be authorized to campaign from February 12 until May 11.

Meanwhile, the campaign period for candidates for House of Representatives as well as local candidates is from March 30 to May 11.

However, candidates will be barred from the campaign trail in their respective areas on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.

The Comelec said that in the event that an official candidate dies or be disqualified to run by final judgement, the subsitute candidate may file the COC starting on November 30 and until midday on election day on May 13, provided that the substitute and the original candidate have the same surname.

The Comelec reminds political aspirants who filed their certificates of candidacy that they need to file their Statement of Contributions and Expenditures on June 12.

Election day is set for May 13, 2019. /ee