‘New COC format to affect mostly local bets’

MANILA, Philippines - The new format of the certificates of candidacy (COCs) will affect mostly candidates running for local positions more than presidential aspirant Sen. Grace Poe, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said yesterday.

Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista said the requirement for candidates to declare in their COCs if they have renounced foreign citizenship would have an effect on local bets.

Bautista noted that dual citizenship is one of the grounds used in filing a petition for disqualification of a candidate in local elections.

“If you will look at jurisprudence, the problem is at the local level, not at the national. We have many local officials who have dual citizenship,” he said.

In a resolution promulgated on Sept. 17, the poll body included a sworn statement that prospective candidates have renounced their foreign citizenship.

The resolution is in accordance with Republic Act 9225 or the Citizenship Retention and Re-acquisition Act of 2003, and the Aug. 18, 2015 decision of the Supreme Court in the Arnado vs. Comelec case.

The high court ruled that Filipinos with dual citizenship may run for public office provided that they meet the qualifications set by the Constitution and make a personal and sworn renunciation of foreign citizenship when they file their COCs.