Substitution due to withdrawal will only be allowed until November 15 and only for aspirants belonging to the same political party, Commission on Elections spokesman James Jimenez said.
“If one of the candidates did file their certificate of candidacy (COC), and they are your partymate, then you could substitute for them even if you yourself didn’t file a certificate of candidacy. It doesn’t matter if you are a candidate or not. The point is as long as you are a partymate of the person who withdrew voluntarily, then you could substitute them,” Jimenez said.
Substitution…“If you are going to make a substitution, you need to submit the name of the substitute by Nov. 15. After that, only involuntary substitution will be allowed,” he added.
Under existing Comelec resolutions, an aspirant who dies or is disqualified by final judgment may be replaced by a substitute candidate until midday of election day on May 9, 2022, provided that the original and substitute candidates have the same surname.
On the other hand, no substitute shall be allowed for independent candidates.