By the end of filing the certificate of candidacy (COC) for Election 2022, nearly 100 had filed candidacies for the presidency, based on the list released by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
The Comelec said 97 filers for the presidency, led by Vice President Leni Robredo, Senators Manny Pacquiao, Ping Lacson, Bato dela Rosa, and labor leader Leody de Guzman.
For the vice president, 29 filed COCs. Meanwhile, 176 are filers in the senate and 270 in the party list.
Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said these numbers would be further reduced.
“Mati-trim po talaga ‘yan kasi meron tayong proseso ng paghihiwalay ng mga nuisance candidates at ng lehitimong kandidato,” said Jimenez.
(That can be trimmed because we have a process of separating nuisance candidates and legitimate candidates.)
According to Comelec Chairman Sheriff Abas, the COC filing was successful from October 1 to 8.
“Sa kabuuan masasabi natin na naging matagumpay ang pagsasagawa natin ng filing ng COC sa buong bansa… We know that this only marks the beginning of the country’s election season,” said Abas.
(On the whole, we can say that we have been successful in conducting COC filings nationwide. However, we know that this only marks the beginning of the country’s election season.)
Basis for declaring candidate as a nuisance
The Comelec is now screening the candidates’ COCs and certificates of nomination and acceptance and will determine if they are eligible to run.
An aspirant is considered a nuisance if they:
- No intention to run
- It makes the election a joke
- Wants to confuse the voter
The Comelec will release the initial list of aspirants at the end of October, but in December, it will be finalized who will be put on the ballot.
The 2022 Philippine presidential and vice-presidential elections will be held on Monday, May 9, 2022, as part of that year’s general election. This will be the 17th direct presidential election and 16th vice-presidential election in the Philippines since 1935, and the seventh sextennial presidential and vice-presidential election since 1986.
Incumbent president Rodrigo Duterte is ineligible for re-election as he is term-limited, according to the 1987 Philippine Constitution. The president and vice president positions are elected separately; the two winning candidates could thus come from different political parties.
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