Comelec issues guidelines on filing of certificates of candidacies for 2013 polls

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) released on Tuesday the guidelines on the filing of certificates of candidacies (COC) for the May 2013 midterm polls.

The Comelec said the filing of COCs will be from October 1 to 5 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and that there will be no extension.

The Comelec will release the final list of candidates on October 6.

The Comelec will not allow COCs submitted in the wrong office. No COCs shall be filed or accepted through mail, electronic mail, telegram or facsimile, the Comelec noted.

According to guidelines under Resolution No. 9518, appointed officials who will aspire for elective positions will be considered resigned from the posts at the start of the filing of COCs.

Elected officials, on the other hand, will not be considered resigned from their posts.

For elective positions in the House of Representatives, and the Senate, candidates must submit their COCs to the Comelec law department.

For candidates for House of Representatives districts in cities outside the National Capital Region, which comprise one or more legislative districts, must submit their COCs to the city election officer.

Candidates for legislative districts in Metro Manila must submit their COCs to regional election director.

Provincial district representative and provincial official candidates, meanwhile, must submit their COCs to the respective provincial election supervisor.

City and municipal hopefuls must file their COCs to city or municipal election officer.

In the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), governor and vice-governor bets must report to the any of the offices of the ARMM regional election director.

Those aspiring to be part of the ARMM regional legislative assembly must submit their COCs to their respective ARMM provincial election supervisor.

Substitution

Meanwhile, the Comelec said the substitute of a candidate who has withdrawn on or before December 21, 2012 may file his Certificate of Candidacy …not later than December 21, 2012, so that the name of the substitute will be reflected on the official ballots.”

“No substitution due to withdrawal shall be allowed after December 21, 2012,” according to the resolution.

The substitute must be within the same party of the candidate, the resolution noted.

However,for a substitute for a deceased or disqualified candidate, the commission has allowed the filing of COCs up to the mid-day of election day. In these cases, Comelec allows only substitutes having the same surname as the candidate.

Independent candidates are not allowed in the resolution to have a substitute.

A candidate backing out from the polls must submit a statement of withdrawal under oath in five copies.

The Comelec has only allowed statements submitted by the candidate who intends to withdraw. – VVP, GMA News