MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Election (Comelec) welcomed the large turnout on the first day of the filing of certificates of candidacy (COC) on Monday for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections in October.
“Napakarami po nating mga kababayan ang nagpa-file ng COC po hindi lang po dito sa kalakhang Maynila kung hindi po pati sa buong bansa po. Bagama’t hindi po namin ini-expect na ganito karami ang magpa-file sa day one, ay natutuwa po kami na ganito kabuhay ang ating demokrasya. Ganito kagusto ng ating mga kababayan na makilahok po sa BSKE,” Comelec spokesman John Rex Laudiangco said in the Laging Handa Public Briefing.
(Many candidates filed their COCs, not just in Metro Manila, nationwide. While we were not expecting this many people to file on day one, welcome the fact that democracy is so alive. This is how much our countrymen want to participate in the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections.)
“Iyong mga ilang nakausap ko, sinabi nila excited na sila, gustung-gusto na nila, ayaw nilang magpahuli dahil ayaw nila magkaproblema iyong kanilang kandidatura,” he said.
(Those whom I spoke to said they were excited, they really wanted it, and they did not want to be late in case there were problems with their candidacies.) (With reports from Ivana Romero, INQUIRER.net, trainee)