Comelec: BIR registration, payment of registration fee not required in filing COCs

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Thursday clarified that the registration with the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and payment of the corresponding registration fee are not required in the filing of certificates of candidacy (COCs).

The poll body said that these are not prerequisites for an individual to continue to be a candidate.

"Time and again, the Supreme Court has pronounced that no property or financial requirement shall be imposed as qualifications for candidates," the Comelec said in an advisory.

It said that requiring candidates to pay a registration fee with the BIR, with a concomitant penalty for non-compliance, is tantamount to imposition of a financial requirement for running for a public office. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News