Comelec: 47,853 vying for 18,000 posts in 2022 polls

MANILA, Philippines — Almost 48,000 individuals and organizations are vying for some 18,000 positions up for grabs in the May 2022 polls, data from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) showed yesterday.

Based on data released by the Comelec, a total of 47,853 certificates of candidacy (COCs) and certificates of nomination and acceptance (CONAs) were filed with the poll body during the filing period from Oct. 1 to 8.

The Comelec, however, said that only 18,100 national and local posts are at stake in the general elections.

Data showed that for national positions, a total of 97 and 29 COCs were filed for the lone posts of president and vice president, respectively.

On the other hand, there are 176 aspirants for the 12 slots for senators while 176 party-list groups are vying for 63 seats available at the House of Representatives.

For local positions, a total of 733 aspirants are contesting 253 seats in the House.

Data revealed at the provincial level, 281,226 and 1,951 COCs were filed for the 81 gubernatorial, 81 vice gubernatorial and 782 provincial board members seats, respectively.

At the city/municipal level,486 COCs were filed for 1,634 mayoralty; 3,968 COCs for 1,634 vice mayoralty seats and 35,636 COCs for 13,558 councilor seats.

In a television interview, Comelec spokesman James Jimenez noted they are targeting to come out with the list of candidates by the end of the year.

“We will be able to finalize the list of candidates possibly by December,” Jimenez added, by which time the poll body will have removed the nuisance bets from the list.

Anti-nuisance bill

Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said yesterday he would push for the enactment of a law that would deter nuisance candidates from running for public office and impose fines on such individuals “for putting the election process in mockery or disrepute.”

Gatchalian filed Senate Bill 726 that seeks to amend certain provisions of the Omnibus Election Code to institutionalize the grounds for declaration of nuisance political candidates.

He said while the 1987 Constitution guarantees equal access to opportunities for public service, the Supreme Court resolution has clarified the view that running for public office is a privilege and not a right.

“It is a privilege to serve the country, so this should be taken seriously by those who want to enter public service because such entails working for the welfare of the people and protecting the country’s coffers,” Gatchalian said in Filipino.

“Actions obviously intended to confuse or make a mockery of the elections are totally unacceptable,” he said.

He cited that among those who trooped to the Comelec for the filing of COCs were presidential aspirants Daniel Magtira, who claims to be the “husband” of actress Kris Aquino and was previously declared by the poll body as a nuisance candidate; Laurencio Jun Yulaga, a self-proclaimed “international scientist” who claims to be a Harvard graduate and vouched for electrocution as a cure for COVID-19.

His running mate, Alexander Lague, said he owns an oil company and wants collected urine converted into perfume and fertilizer if he wins as vice president.

While such candidates who will eventually be declared as “nuisance” by the Comelec may have achieved their 15 minutes of fame, they should be held liable for their act, the senator said.

He said the processing of their COCs wasted public resources.

The bill proposed the imposition of a fine of P50,000 on any person found by the Comelec to have put the election process in mockery or disrepute.

A counterpart measure in the House of Representatives proposing heavier fines against nuisance candidates had been already approved on final reading last August.