COMELEC MOVES FILING OF CANDIDACY TO OCT. 11-17

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has granted the request of Congress to reschedule the filing of certificates of candidacy (COC) for the 2019 mid-term elections to Oct. 11 to 17 from the original schedule of Oct. 1 to 5. The new schedule was announced in a Twitter post last Wednesday by Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez: “The COMELEC en banc has authorized the re-scheduling of the filing of COC for the #2019NLE to Oct. 11-17, excluding Saturday and Sunday.” Jimenez added, “On the last day, there will be no extension of filing hours.” The House of Representatives lauded Comelec for acceding to its request for the rescheduling of the filing of COCs. “Now, we can buckle down to work and focus on deliberating the priority legislative measures of the President without the distractions of electoral campaign,” said House Majority Leader Rolando Andaya Jr. The Comelec’s decision came just two days after the House adopted the concurrent resolution filed by Andaya and House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo urging the Comelec to reset the filing to allow the members of the Congress to attend to their legislative duties first. A Senate concurrent resolution, introduced by Senate President Vicente Sotto III, was also adopted at the Senate last Monday. Andaya said the House leadership is inclined to reach out to their counterparts in the Senate to discuss ways on how to expedite the passage into law of the priority measures of the President. “We expect more productive sessions ahead, with the end in view of completing our task before the election campaign period commences in October,” said Andaya. In local politics, Gov. Hilario Davide III refused to release his lineup for the 2019 elections. While he admitted there is already an initial lineup, he would not reveal who his runningmate will be. “We will cross the bridge when it’s done,” said Davide.