Last day of filing COCs today

MANILA, Philippines - Those who intend to run in the Oct. 25 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) polls have until today to file their certificates of candidacy (COCs), the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said yesterday.

Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said the filing of COCs “has been going on very smoothly” since it started last Oct. 1.

“So far, there’s no spectacular report about violence. What we get mostly are reports of violence against sitting barangay officials,” Jimenez said at a press briefing.

He noted that there seems to be more candidates this year than in the 2007 barangay and SK elections, as evidenced by the shortage of COC forms in some Comelec offices across the country.

“In some places, our election officers have had to request for augmentation… They allowed the candidates themselves to photocopy the forms since the forms are downloadable (from our website). They are not accountable (forms),” he added.

In relation to this, Comelec Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal said the poll body had issued a resolution, declaring that “incumbent municipal, city, provincial and national elective officials running for any barangay elective position shall not be considered resigned upon filing of COCs.”

Resolution 9052 has amended Resolution 9029, promulgated last Sept. 21, which considered such officials as “ipso facto resigned” upon filing the COC.

Larrazabal said the new resolution showed that those holding an appointive barangay, city/municipal, provincial, regional or national officials or employees, or those in the civil or military service, including those in government-owned or controlled corporations, are deemed resigned when they already filed their COCs.

2007 allowances have not yet been paid

The Comelec will also look into reports that some teachers who supervised the registration of voters in the 2007 SK polls and the May 10, 2010 election have not yet been paid their allowances.

“We’ll study this. We asked the teachers to formally file a complaint so we can look into this,” said Larrazabal after a meeting with the Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC).

TDC chair Benjo Basas said another barangay and SK election is scheduled on Oct. 25 but some teachers in Muntinlupa, Caloocan City, Malabon, Navotas and Valenzuela have not yet been paid for administering the SK voter’s registration three years ago.

Basas noted in a telephone interview that some teachers in Metro Manila who served as Board of Election Inspectors in the May 10 local and national polls have also not yet been paid their P500 additional allowance.

“We just hope that before Oct. 25, our teachers can get what is due them. It’s been three years and they are still waiting,” he added.

Larrazabal claimed that the Comelec central office released the teachers’ allowances through its provincial election supervisors and election officers (EOs). But in some cases, the Department of Education (DepEd) took charge of giving out the allowances.

Jimenez said those who might have deliberately withheld the teachers’ honoraria are liable for graft and corruption.

“If there is an intent in withholding the money that was earmarked for salaries of teachers then that would be (violation of) anti-graft and corrupt practices act,” he added.

Jimenez said that the EOs were the ones “in charge of making sure that the money is available for distribution to the various teachers” even if the funds were released to the Comelec regional offices.

But DepEd, he said, has a role in preparing the payroll.

Lente opens election hotlines

Meanwhile, poll watchdog Legal Network for Truthful Elections (Lente) will open its hotlines for election complaints during the barangay and SK elections.

Rona Ann Caritos, Lente’s program director, said the group will also provide free legal assistance to candidates.

“We have encouraged our local chapters to extend free legal assistance and form their own roving teams,” Caritos said in a statement.

“Those who want to get in touch with us can do so at the national headquarters. Our telefax is (02) 403-2249, and our mobile numbers are (0906) 522-6629 and (0939) 352-4295,” she said.

Caritos said the hotlines will be manned by Lente lawyers.

She said the group will be moving its local command centers from the law schools and Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) chapters into key areas in order to merge its volunteers.

Lente has 36 law-school based chapters in addition to all the provincial chapters of the IBP.

Lente’s corps of lawyers and paralegal workers are campaigning against disenfranchisement and election violations.

Of the 2,031 documented complaints that Lente received in the May 10 national and local polls, less than 30 were filed in court, Caritos said. – Helen Flores