Comelec to issue guidelines for filing of COC, CONA this week — spox

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is set to release the guidelines for the filing of the certificate of candidacy (COC) and certificate of nomination and acceptance (CONA) for the 2025 national and local elections (NLE) this week, an official said Tuesday.

“Una pong mailalabas ngayong linggo ang guidelines sa pagfa-file ng COC at CONA ng ating mga sasali sa party-list system of representation,” Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco told state-run PTV’s Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon.

(The guidelines for the filing of COCs and CONAs will be issued this week.)

“Ito kasi masasaaad natin lahat ng gagawin mula sa format ng COC, at sa filing ng COC mula October 1 to 8,” he said.

(It will contain the guidelines for the format of the COC as well as the filing of the COCs on October 1-8.)

The filing of COC for the May 2025 midterm polls is scheduled from October 1 to 8, 2024.

According to Laudiangco, among the new rules under the Comelec resolution is the banning of substitution of candidates after the last day of the filing period.

Meanwhile, poll chief George Erwin Garcia said the guidelines will also include the aspirants consenting  the Comelec to post their respective CoCs on the poll body website.

“Sa rules ng COC, may nilagay po tayo dun na commitment ng lahat ng kandidato na pinapayagan nila ang Comelec na ang kanilang COC, tatanggalin lang ang personal information na wala sa Sec. 74 ng Omnibus Election Code ay atin pong ilalathala sa Comelec website,” said Garcia.

(We included on the guidelines that the candidates consent that we post their COCs on our website.)

“At least yan ang solusyon natin hanggang walang batas na nagre-require ng dagdag na requirement sa filing ng CoC...Ilalaban namin na ang Comelec ay may kapangyarihan na ilabas sa publiko ang lahat ng COC ng mga kandidato,” he added.

(This is our solution until such time there is a law mandating additional requirements for the filing of COC. We will contend that the poll body has the authority to publicize the COCs.

In June, the Comelec en banc approved "in principle" the proposal to upload the submitted CoCs and CONAs on their website. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News