Comelec opens early filing of political parties

THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) said it has already opened the filing period for the petition for accreditation by political groups.

Comelec chairperson George Erwin Garcia said this is to give parties time to answer questions of legalities regarding their petitions.

“We made the announcement this early for the filing of a petition for accreditation with the Comelec. Based on our experience, when petitions for accreditation are filed, sometimes it’s only a few days before the election, the ballot has already been printed, and there are pending petitions for accreditation. We want them to file earlier and then we will finish early the deadline for filing the petition for accreditation,” he said in a Laging Handa briefing on Thursday.

He added that the Office of the Clerk of the Commission has already started receiving verified petitions for registration as a political party or a coalition of political parties.

Garcia, however, said the deadline for the filing has yet to be decided upon by the Commission en banc.

Last month, the poll body urged organizations and groups intending to register as political party; a coalition of political parties; or a national, regional, or sectoral group or organization to participate in the party-list system of representation to file their verified petitions for registration before the Commission.

The Clerk of the Commission will accept petitions compliant with Comelec Resolution No. 10673 (In Re: Guidelines on Electronic Filing, Conduct of Hearings/Investigations/Inquiries via Video Conference, and Service) from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Mondays to Fridays, excluding holidays.