The Commission on Elections has rejected the senatorial bid of 70 people running for this year’s elections, its spokesman James Jimenez said Tuesday.
He did not identify the aspirants but said a certificate of finality on the decision would be issued if the candidates failed to file an appeal within five days of being notified that their election bids had been rejected.
Jimenez also said the number of party-list groups seeking to join the May elections was down to 154 from 182 as of Tuesday, and that could still be reduced as the Comelec continued to clean up the list.
The final list of candidates, including those running for local positions, should be ready for the printing of official ballots by the third of this month, he said.
The Comelec’s law department earlier sought to reject the bid of 95 senatorial aspirants for lacking funds for a nationwide campaign.
READ: Comelec trims senatorial bets, party-list groups in ‘19 polls
The Comelec’s finance section also sought the perpetual disqualification of former senator Sergio Osmeña III for allegedly failing to submit his campaign expense reports for 2010 and 2016.
Senator Aquilino Pimentel III is also facing petitions seeking his disqualification from reelection.
His detractors say he is serving his second and final term, having first assumed the post following a successful election protest in 2011, which left him with only a year and 10 months to serve.
