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NewsTranscript
00:00Kapusong, we are still here in Manila Hotel Tent City, the venue where the candidates for the May 2025 midterm elections will file their Certificate of Candidacy.
00:12Today is October 8, the last day of the filing of the Certificate of Candidacy. 18,280 national and local positions will be filled in the May 12, 2025 midterm elections.
00:25The Certificate of Candidacy will be filed from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
00:30To give us more details, on the last day of the filing of the Certificate of Candidacy, we will be joined by the COMELEC Chairman, Chairman George Garcia. Good morning to you, Chairman.
00:43Good morning, Ma'am Maris, and good morning to all of us.
00:47Sir, first of all, 127 senatorial aspirants and 137 partylist aspirants have filed their Certificate of Candidacy. Are we expecting that on the last day, more will be added to this list?
01:03As you know, Ma'am Maris, our partylist is 160. So more or less, we still have 23 who are expected to file their Certificates of Nomination and Acceptance.
01:13For our senatorial candidates, there are those who are expected to file on the last day. So we expect that the senatorial candidates will reach 130 to 135.
01:26But as you know, compared to the last 2022 elections, for our countrymen's knowledge, this is lower because in the last election, 176 senatorial aspirants filed their candidacies.
01:38Is there a reason why it is lower?
01:40As you know, there are coalition alliances. Maybe because of those coalition alliances, the various political parties that we have in our country,
01:50they should not file or fill their candidacies if they are not a part of a coalition or an alliance.
01:58They should focus on supporting those who are running, instead of fighting. But anyway, Chairman, if it reaches 5 p.m. and there are still people in line, will they be accepted?
02:10Yes. We will accept them as long as they are here in the vicinity of the tent of Manila Hotel. Even in other parts of our country, as long as they are in other areas of the venue,
02:20we will allow them to file their Certificates of Candidacy. However, they should register their names.
02:27Because it is not possible for them to say, we have been here for a while, we are here in this building or this area.
02:34They should register their names, record it, so that they can be called if they pass the 5 p.m. deadline.
02:41So that they know that they have passed the cutoff, right, Chairman?
02:43Anyway, Chairman, you also mentioned that Komelec is filing applications to remove the nuisance candidates.
02:52However, how is the system in categorizing aspirants as nuisance?
02:57As you know, it is motoproprio to the commission. It means that even if no one files a petition, we can do it.
03:03But you know, to our fellow countrymen, it is better, especially if there are enemies or nuisance candidates running to confuse our fellow countrymen.
03:12It is better if they themselves file a petition to us. Because we do not know all the 28,000 candidates in the entire Philippines.
03:21So far, only 28,000 have filed in the entire Philippines. So it is better if the local candidates file a petition to us.
03:27We can determine the national candidates. We do not have a problem with that.
03:31But for the local candidates, there should be someone filing a petition to declare nuisance candidates to confuse our fellow countrymen.
03:41Will two weeks be enough for all of them to file a petition?
03:44I would also like to know, how about those who have already been declared nuisance candidates
03:51and at the same time, there is a perpetual disqualification to hold public office?
03:57Is it not automatic that they should be removed?
04:01Internally, our deadline is November 30 so that we can decide on the issues of nuisance
04:08or the issue of perpetual disqualification to hold public office.
04:12Everyone will remember that if the issue is perpetual disqualification,
04:17meaning a lifetime that they will not be able to run or hold a position in the government,
04:22we can do that by ourselves without filing a petition.
04:26Because we have lists that were brought to us by the Ombudsman's office.
04:31As long as there is no restraining order in a higher court to stop the implementation of the decision of the Ombudsman's office,
04:38we will implement that.
04:39So, everyone should expect that before November 30, we will have an update on how many were declared nuisance,
04:46how many were removed from filing their candidacy because they are perpetually disqualified to hold public office.
04:55But when will the final list be released?
04:58December 13, our final list because Comelec wants to have a printing of balotas by the last week of December.
05:06The question of many chairmen, will Comelec still accept the Certificate of Candidacy that will be filed by Alice Guo of Bambantarlac
05:15because her lawyer is saying that this will be a big issue.
05:19Ma'am Maris, like what we are repeatedly mentioning,
05:22for a few days now, we have been saying that our role, our duty in accepting the candidacy is purely ministerial.
05:30We have no discretion to refuse to file a candidacy even if they are singing, boyfriend or girlfriend of this or that.
05:38Whatever our fellow countrymen think, we will accept the Certificate of Candidacy.
05:42But if the name will be put on the balota, will it be listed or will it be a candidate, that's a different story.
05:49And therefore, I will not say that the person who was mentioned will be able to run
05:54because it might be said that he is not being primed enough to file a candidacy.
05:57But what we are saying is that we will accept it, but we will decide if he should be included or not.
06:04But he already has a case of misrepresentation from the previous elections.
06:07What is the update on this case that is being heard by Comelec?
06:13This week, maybe until tomorrow, we will have a resolution on that.
06:18We have already discussed that because we have already resolved some issues.
06:22At the same time, it would be good to talk to those who are facing misrepresentation cases.
06:27If I will file, will it be a new misrepresentation?
06:30Of course, in every case you file, it will be a different misrepresentation case.
06:34Just a reminder to those who are still chasing the filing of Certificate of Candidacy.
06:40And of course, Sir, they are saying that substitutions are really prohibited as compared to the previous elections.
06:47There are still substitutions being done.
06:48Let's leave it at that. Substitutions are prohibited.
06:51After October 8, aside from the death or disqualification of a candidate,
06:56substitutions are prohibited.
06:57We will not accept substitutions.
06:58What is happening in the past is right.
07:00Meaning to say, you submitted a list,
07:02if you are a party list or if you are a candidate,
07:06aside from the death or disqualification,
07:08we will not allow you to have substitutions.
07:10If you died or were disqualified, you can have substitutions,
07:13but the same political party and the same family name.
07:16To those who are chasing this case,
07:18of course, we are still here,
07:20until 5 p.m. in the afternoon.
07:23I hope that before you go to our filing sites, to our venues,
07:26I hope that you already have orders.
07:28Bring your Certificates of Candidacy immediately.
07:30We will review it. Maybe it's not enough.
07:32Maybe there should be more.
07:34And therefore, you will not know when you will go.
07:37Also, bring your Certificates of Candidacy.
07:39It will take a long time.
07:40The queue is long.
07:41Many will file today.
07:43All right. Thank you very much.
07:45Your day is still long, Chairman.
07:47Thank you very much for the information you gave us and for your time.
07:51Come like Chairman George Garcia.