LAST CHANCE TODAY, FOLKS
Not enough candidates, Comelec head office says, so the commissioners decided to give aspirants from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today to throw their hats into the ring for the May 14 barangay, youth elections Even if the candidates have filed their certificates of
Nearly 600,000 barangay candidates nationwide as of Friday, but Commission on Elections said it saw the need to give aspirants more time to file (until 5 p.m. today) to avoid a low turnout in the May 14 elections
Today is your last chance, aspiring barangay officials.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) extended until 5 p.m. of April 21 the filing of certificates of candidacy (COC) for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections.
It said in Resolution 10310, released on Friday, that Comelec will continue to receive COCs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today, one more day after the original deadline.
The Comelec cited initial reports about a low turnout of candidates for both the barangay and SK elections, so it decided to “give additional time to potential candidates to file their COCs.”
As of 3:30 p.m. of Friday, the Comelec said it had received a total of 587,042 COCs for the village elections nationwide, and 272,047 COCs for the youth council elections.
In Cebu City, more than 3,200 candidates filed their COCs yesterday. A total of 1,739 candidates filed their COCs in the north district and 1,528 did the same in the south.
Most of the candidates filed their COCs last April 18 because they believed the date would bring them good luck.
Father and son
Cebu City South District Election officer lawyer Anna Fleur Gujilde said that her office received a higher number of COCs than expected.
Before the official campaign period will start on May 4, some potentially colorful contests have already emerged.
In the island barangay of Caubian in Lapu-Lapu City, 41-year-old Jackson Matbagon, who is the current barangay captain, will run again. He will face his 75-year-old father, Romeo Matbagon, for the same post.
Lapu-Lapu City Election Officer Ann Janette Chua-Hu Lamban said that Barangay Pusok has the most number of candidates for barangay captain.
Four candidates—incumbent Barangay Captain Caridad Dawat, former barangay captain Tranquilino Omolon, Marietta Layagin and Justino Booc Jr.— all want to be barangay captain of Barangay Pusok.
Lapu-lapu City has 201,538 registered voters for regular positions, while the SK has 69,589 voters. The city has 537 clustered precincts in the mainland and on Olango Island.
Four villages in the city— Pajo, Pusok, Punta Engaño and Buaya—are being closely watched because of the intense political rivalry in these areas, Lamban said.
These barangays, though, are not yet considered as part of the election watch list.
In a separate interview, Gujilde said that all Comelec local offices will have to submit the names of the candidates to their central office and to the police for assessment.
“Comelec and the PNP will jointly come up with a list of areas to be considered as part of the watch list after our assessment, once we will close the filing period,” she said.
Heated but secure
Even if the candidates have already filed their COCs, they are still prohibited from conducting all forms of campaigning before the campaign period, which will start on May 4 and end on May 12.
Under the Omnibus Election Code, candidates for barangay and SK offices “shall be deemed liable for premature campaigning,” an election offense, if they campaign ahead or after the official campaign period.
Complaints can be filed by opposing candidates, which may lead to disqualification of the offending person’s candidacy.
Candidates of incumbent elective officials within the second degree of consanguinity are prohibited to run for office on May 14.
Despite early signs of rivalry, the filing of COCs went smoothly in Cebu.
The police were on alert to secure what was supposed to be the last day of the filing of the COCs.
Supt. Reyman Tolentin, public information officer of the Police Regional Office 7, said that officers were on the lookout and kept the proceedings secure.
“This is the time that those candidates who are still deliberating whether they will run or not will file their COCs,” Tolentin said.
“We should not lower our guard. We should also start monitoring those contested areas where many candidates are aspiring for office.”