Comelec to post COCs, CONA of Eleksyon 2025 candidates after filing period

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will start uploading on its website the certificates of candidacy (COC) of aspirants vying for positions in the 2025 national and local elections (NLE) two weeks after the filing period, poll chief George Erwin Garcia said Friday.

“Dalawang linggo pagkatapos ng filing of COCs ay maipo-post na natin sa Comelec website ang lahat ng COC ng lahat ng kandidato,” Garcia told reporters at the Kapihan sa Manila Prince Hotel. 

(Two weeks after the filing of certificates of candidacy, we will post all COCs of all candidates on the Comelec website.)

“Kaya dalawang linggo kasi isa-submit pa mula sa probinsya, munisipyo ang COCs ng kandidato at mangyayari lamang mga isang linggo pagkatapos ng filing ng COC mula October 1 to October 8,” Garcia said.

(Two weeks because we need to wait for the arrival of the COCs from the provinces, municipalities They would be able to submit it a week after the filing of COCs from October 1 to 8.)

Under Comelec Resolution No. 11045, the poll body will begin posting the COCs including the Certificate of Nomination and Acceptance (CONAs) of the aspirants on October 18, 2024. 

This will be in accordance with the Data Privacy Act as it will “serve as public notice of the aspirant's declaration of qualifications for the position sought”.

In June, the Comelec en banc approved "in principle" the proposal to upload the submitted  COCs and CONAs on their website.

Appointive officials deemed resigned

Garcia reiterated that appointive officials who will run in the 2025 May polls will be deemed resigned from their posts upon the submission of their COCs. 

“Ang isang appointive official na tatakbo sa national and local position ay deemed resigned upon the filing of the COC,” the poll chief said citing the Omnibus Election Code (EOC). 

(An appointive official who will run for a national or local position is deemed resigned upon the filing of the COCs.)

“Sa party-list sila ay deemed resigned lamang sa unang araw ng  campaign period which is February 11 sapagkat may decision ang Supreme Court sa -party=list na talaga namang tumatakbo ay di 'yung mismong nominees kundi 'yung organizations or political parties na kinabibilangan nila,” he added. 

(In the case of party-list groups, however, they are deemed resigned only on the first day of the campaign period, which is February 11, since the Supreme Court has ruled that those running are not the nominees themselves, but rather the organizations or political parties they belong to.)

Under Section 39 of the OEC, “any elective or appointive municipal, city, provincial or national official or employee, or those in the civil or military service, including those in government-owned or controlled corporations, shall be considered automatically resigned upon the filing of certificate of candidacy for a barangay office”.

Meanwhile, Section 44 of Comelec Resolution No. 11045 states that “any person holding a public appointive office or position including active members of the AFP, and other officers and employees in government-owned or-controlled corporations, shall be considered ipso resigned from the office and must vacate the office at the start of the regular office hours of the day when facto the aspirant filed the COC." 

Among the government officials who announced their candidacy in the next year’s polls was Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos. —AOL, GMA Integrated News