THE Commission on Elections will not extend the period for filing certificates of candidacy in the May 14 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections next month, an official said Wednesday.
“There will be no more extension and [the filing of candidacies] will end Friday. April 2O will be the last day and our office hours are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.,” Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said.
He also reminded all candidates who will file their certificates of candidacy that they have until June 13 to file their Statement of Contribution and Expenditure.
“Win or lose, all candidates must file their SOCE,” Jimenez said.
He said filing the SOCE was imperative as it would be one of the earliest proofs that the candidates deserved the public trust given them on election day.
Jimenez said the Comelec had gathered more than 305,000 filers during the first four days of the filing of candidacies nationwide.
Of that number, 28,436 filed as candidates for barangay chairman while 197,181 filed as candidates for councilman as of Tuesday, April 17.
For the SK elections, 79,465 young individuals filed their COCs, 18,298 filed as candidates for SK chairman while 61,167 were candidates for the SK council.
“The filing of COC is ongoing and after that we will be getting busy over the coming few days. The COCs will be turned over to the [Comelec] central office where the evaluation will be conducted,” Jimenez said.
“We have to finish that within two weeks because we will post the list of candidates and this will be the basis to know the [qualified] candidates.”
The election period is from April 14 to May 21, during which the Commission prohibits the alteration of precincts or establishment of new precincts, the carrying of firearms or other deadly weapons, the use of security personnel or bodyguards by candidates, the transfer of officers and employees in the civil service, and the suspension of any elective local officer.
On election day, the casting of votes in the polling precincts will be from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.