FILING OF CANDIDACY FOR 2025 MIDTERM ELECTIONS BEGINS

Philippines enters new election season as the filing of certificates of candidacy (COC) officially begins on Tuesday October 1. The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is welcoming political “aspirants” seeking to take the 18,280 elective positions up for grabs in the May 2025 national and local elections until October 8.

Aspiring politicians are once again welcome seeking to take positions up for grabs in the May 2025 national and local elections (Photo courtesy of Rappler)

The COC filing in the Philippines is often characterized as a "political circus," it has traditionally served as a ceremonial opening of the election season that will only peak, sometimes violently, in the coming months until election day.

67 million registered voters has the opportunity to either reelect their leaders or install new ones, from senator to party-list representative at the national level, and from governor down to city or town councilor at the local level.

Two weeks after the filing of CoC, Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia said that they will publish in the Comelec website all names of candidates, so the public will know who they are. Adding that "complaints against candidates would be immediately acted upon by the commission to cleanse the list of candidates that will be included in the printing of ballots."

Among those who filed their candidacy on the first day were content creators and actors including Vlogger and entrepreneur Rosmarie “Rosmar” Tan-Pamulaklakin to run for councilor in the first district of Manila, Marc Gamboa of YouTube vlog Models of Manila for senator, Content creator Norris John Okamoto seeks House seat, Filipino actor and model Marco Gumabao for Camarines Sur Fourth District representative, and Actor Enzo Pineda for councilor in Quezon City's Fifth District.

Some who files for reelections were Quezon City 5th District Councilor Alfred Vargas, Cavite 1st District Congressman Jolo Revilla and Cavite 2nd district Congresswoman Lani Revilla, Senator Francis Tolentino, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte and Vice Mayor Gian Sotto, Quezon City 1st District Rep. Arjo Atayde, and Pangasinan fifth district Representative Ramon Guico Jr. While Senator Nancy Binay file her candidacy for Makati mayor. 

Comelec expects about 500,000 aspirants for the national and local positions that would be contested in next year's polls:12 for senators, 254 district representatives, 63 party-list groups, 82 governors, 82 vice governors, `800 provincial council members, 149 city mayors, 149 city vice mayors, 1,682 city council members, 1,493 municipal mayors, 1,493 municipal vice mayors, 11,948 municipal council members, and 25 BBARMM parliament members and 40 BARMM party-list representatives.

From October 1 to 8 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., the Comelec will carry out its “ministerial duty” of accepting COCs and Certificates of Nomination and Acceptance (CONA), as long as they were properly filled out. The herculean task of filtering out "nuisance candidates" will come after.

Source: Philippine Star

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