COC filing may be reset if BARMM polls will be moved to 2026 — Comelec

The filing of the certificates of candidacy (COCs) for the first Bangsamoro elections will be reset should the polls be moved to 2026, unless otherwise stated in the law, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said Friday.

“Kung talagang magkaroon ng batas, sa bandang huli, magkakaroon ulit ng panibagong filing ng COCs,” poll body chairperson George Garcia said at a media briefing during the submission of COCs and other documents for the elections.

(If there will be a law, in the end, we will hold another filing of COCs.)

“Unless ‘yung batas mismo, kung sakali, ay may nakalagay na kung sino nag file ng kandidatura ay sila mismo ang kandidato kapag na reset ang elections,” he added.

(Unless the law states, the law provides that those who filed for their candidacy will be the candidates if the elections are reset.)

Last week, Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero filed a bill seeking to postpone the Bangsamoro elections from May 2025 to May 2026.

According to Garcia, they have accepted the COCs filed in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

Latest data from Comelec showed that a total of 111 aspirants have filed their COCs.

At least 73 elective positions are up for grabs in the parliamentary elections, of which 40 are for regional political parties, 25 for parliamentary districts, and eight for sectoral organizations.

“Tinanggap natin ang lahat ng COC. So ibig sabihin, as far as the Comelec is concerned, tuloy na tuloy na tuloy ang halalan,” Garcia said.

(We have accepted the COCs. This means that, as far as the Comelec is concerned, the elections will push through.)

Meanwhile, Garcia was also asked about Escudero informing President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. about some "unconstitutional" provisions in the Bangsamoro Electoral Code and its implementing rules and regulations.

According to Escudero, the BARMM Electoral Code and IRR provide that all appointed officials who filed their COCs are not considered resigned. Escudero said this is a violation of the Constitution.

But Garcia said Comelec cannot give its position on the matter as they already have a case in the Supreme Court involving a similar issue.

Garcia was referring to the temporary restraining order issued by the Supreme Court in October against the Comelec rule that allows public appointive officials to continue serving after being nominated as a party-list representative.

The SC required parties to observe the status quo that public appointed officials are deemed resigned upon filing of the COC. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News