A majority of the aspirants who filed their certificates of candidacy (COCs) for national and local positions during the eight-day filing period are men, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) reported Monday.
Based on the poll body’s latest data, of the 97 filers for president, 78 or 80.41 percent are males while 19.59 percent or 19 are females.
A total 29 aspirants have filed for the vice-presidential post, with 23 males or 79.31 percent and six females or 20.69 percent.
Male hopefuls numbering 139 or 78.98 of a total 176 aspirants have filed their COCs for senator while only 37 or 21.02 percent are females.
Only 12 senatorial seats will be contested in next year’s polls.
For party-list representatives, of the total 1,426 nominees, 1,052 were males or 73.77 percent while females were 374 or 26.23 percent.
In the local positions, male aspirants also dominated those who are seeking to be elected in public office.
For member of the House of Representatives, a total 733 have filed their respective COCs, 572 are males or 78.04 percent and 161 females or 21.96 percent. There are 253 available seats in the lower chamber in next year’s polls.
The positions for governors and vice governors are 81 each.
Out of the 281 filers for governor, 234 or 83.27 percent are males while 47 or 16.73 percent are females.
For vice governor, 183 or 80.97 percent are men while 43 or 19.03 percent are women.
For member of Sangguniang Panlalawigan, 1,951 candidates are vying for 782 available positions. The number includes 1,570 males (80.47 percent) and 381 females (19.53 percent).
For local government units, the positions for mayor and vice-mayor are 1,634 each. A total of 4,486 COCs filed for mayor, 3,592 of whom are males or 80.07 percent and 894 are females or 19.93 percent. Full story on manilastandard.net.
For vice mayor, there are a total of 3,968 candidates — 3,139 are males (79.11 percent) and 829 are females (20.89 percent).
As for member of Sangguniang Panlungsod/Bayan, the available positions are 13,558. The total number of COCs filed for the position is 35,636 — 28,194 or 79.12 percent are males and 7,442 or 20.88 percent are females.
Meanwhile, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar reminded all police officers in active duty to remain apolitical even in their social media posts and refrain from campaigning for or against any political aspirant.
“While I am encouraging all police personnel to exercise their right to suffrage as citizens, they must remain apolitical in carrying out their mandate as members of the PNP,” he said in a video message.
Eleazar also cautioned policemen from expressing their political leanings on social media as such would go against the organization’s non-partisan stance in politics.
“I am reminding all police personnel to be mindful of what they post on their social networking accounts and refrain from showing support for or campaigning against local or national political aspirants,” he said.
“These may be personal accounts maintained by PNP personnel, but anything posted in them would ultimately reflect on the organization and put to question our apolitical stance.”
He reminded police personnel of the existing PNP memorandum circular containing the guidelines and procedures on social media content, post and engagement utilizing social media accounts and individual accounts of PNP personnel.
The memorandum circular contains a prohibition on social media posts that would be inimical to the interest of the PNP as an organization and prescribes administrative sanctions on violators of the ban.
In related developments, the Bureau of Immigration has also advised its employees to refrain from engaging in partisan political activities.
Commissioner Jaime Morente said employees were strictly prohibited from campaigning actively and soliciting votes and support for their election bets.
“This election season, as public servants, we are expected to remain politically neutral as this is mandated by law,” Morente said in a statement.
He added that the mere wearing of shirts, caps, or pins and actively campaigning for candidates is prohibited pursuant to advisories from the Civil Service Commission and the Comelec.
He warned that those who would be found guilty of engaging in partisan political activities might be penalized with up to six months suspension for the first offense.
Meanwhile, Senator Win Gatchalian enjoined colleagues to consider the enactment of his bill seeking to institutionalize the grounds for declaration of nuisance political candidates and imposition of a fine for putting the election process in mockery or disrepute.
While the 1987 Constitution guarantees equal access to opportunities for public service, he said the Supreme Court resolution has clarified the view that running for public office is a privilege and not a right.
Among those who trooped to the Pasay City venue setup by the Comelec for the filing of certificate of candidacy were presidential aspirants Daniel Magtira who claimed to be the “husband” of Kris Aquino and was previously declared by the poll body as a nuisance candidate.
Gatchalian also mentioned the name of Laurencio Jun Yulaga, a self-proclaimed “international scientist” who claimed to be a Harvard graduate and said that electrocution could cure COVID-19.
In Gatchalian’s Senate Bill 726 or an Act Amending Sections 69, 261 and 264 of the Omnibus Election Code of the Philippines, he proposed the imposition of a fine of P50,000 to any person who was found by the Comelec to have put the election process in mockery or disrepute.