MANILA, Philippines - As the number of presidential aspirants continues to soar, Malacañang urged the public on Thursday to respect people's right to run for an elective post.
In a press briefing, Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. maintained that those who have met the constitutional requirements can file their certificates of candidacy (COCs) for president.
"Sa aking pananaw, hindi naglagay sa Saligang Batas ng mataas na dingding o pader na dapat laktawan ng mga Pilipinong nais kumandidato sa pinakamataas na posisyon," Coloma said.
"Siguro para sa ngayon ang pinakamainam na pananaw diyan ay igalang ang kanilang karapatan na maghain ng kandidatura dahil ito naman sa kanilang palagay ay naaayon sa batas," he also said.
Under Article VII, Section 2 of the 1987 Constitution, an individual may become president provided he meets the following criteria:
- natural born Filipino;
- a registered voter;
- must be able to read and write;
- 40 years of age at the day of the election;
- must have resided in the Philippines 10 years before the election is held
As of Thursday, more than 60 people have filed their COCs for president at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) main office in Manila.
Coloma said the Comelec is expected to determine the so-called nuisance candidates or those those who have no political machinery to launch a nationwide campaign.
WATCH: Comelec on why many non-serious hopefuls file COCs
"Pagpapasyahan naman ito ng Comelec at pagpapasyahan din ito sa kahuli-hulihan ng pinakamataas na awtoridad, ang mga mamamayang Pilipino," he said.
On Tuesday, Coloma said the growing number of presidential hopefuls "attest to the dynamism of our democracy and reflects the desire of well-meaning Filipinos to actively participate in the electoral process."
Including the presidency, a total of 18,069 national and local positions will be contested in the May 2016 elections.
Aside from the presidential and vice presidential positions, other posts at stake are 12 senators; 58 party-list representatives; 235 district congressmen; 81 governors; 81 vice governors, and 772 members of Sangguniang Panlalawigan.
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