Comelec: Close to 90 bets may run for senator

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said yesterday close to 90 candidates may qualify to run for senator in the May 13 midterm polls.

Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said the poll body had been screening the 152 certificates of candidacy (COCs) filed for Senate seats and 70 bets have been eliminated so far.  

The disqualified candidates include those whom Comelec found to be nuisance motu proprio and those facing petitions for disqualification. There are also those who withdrew their COCs.

“We will come up with the final list before we start the printing of official ballots maybe on the third week of this month,” Jimenez said in an interview. 

Jimenez explained they could not release the names of the candidates yet as the disqualified bets will be given five days to appeal. 

If this period lapses without an appeal being filed, the Comelec will issue a certificate of finality to each candidate disqualified.

For the party-list race, 182 organizations have filed certificates of nomination and acceptance (CONA) but the Comelec has so far disqualified around 30 of them.  

In a radio interview, Jimenez said the release of the official list of candidates has been delayed because of the resetting of the period for the filing of COCs.

“You have to take into consideration that we also lost two weeks… We warned back then that it would have downstream effects,” he added.

The official assured the public the Comelec is doing its best to “cut the effects with the start of the printing” of official ballots.

The Comelec had originally scheduled the filing of COCs from Oct. 1 to 5 but had to move this to Oct. 11 to 17 because of the demand of lawmakers.  

Up for grabs in the coming polls are 18,094 elective posts, including 12 senatorial seats.