BONTOC, Mountain Province – The Provincial Election Office of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) said that some three thousand six hundred forty-eight individuals were able to file their respective certificates of candidacy (COCs) for the various elected positions during the upcoming barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections on October 30, 2023.
Provincial election Supervisor lawyer Ricardo Lampac described the recent filing of COCs last August 28 – September 2, 2023 as generally peaceful and orderly because of the cooperation of the candidates and their supporters to the policies that were imposed by the poll body.
“We would like to express our gratitude to the people of the province for their cooperation that resulted to the peaceful and orderly filing of COCs by those who are aspiring for the various elected positions in the upcoming barangay and SK polls. We hope that the said orderly and peaceful situation will prevail up to the elections and until the proclamation of winners for the province to sustain its identity as one of the peaceful areas during the conduct of elections,” Lampac stressed.
For the province’s 144 barangays, there were a total of 420 aspirants for punong barangay and 2,300 candidates for barangay kagawads.
Of the 420 aspirants for punong barangay, 392 are males and 28 are females while for barangay kagawads, there are 1,639 males and 661 females.
For the SK positions, there were a total of 300 aspirants for SK chairpersons in the different barangays while there are some 628 aspiring for SK kagawads.
Of the individuals seeking election for SK chairpersons, 184 are males and 116 are females while for those seeking the position of SK kagawads, 372 are males and 256 are females.
Lampac reminded the public on the prevailing guidelines for the upcoming barangay and SK elections where the campaign period will be from October 19-28, 2023, thus, whatever modes of campaigning that will be done by those who filed their COCs will be considered as premature campaigning and will result to the possible disqualification of the said candidates.
According to him, people who witness the conduct of premature campaigning by the aspirants for the various elected positions in the upcoming October 30 barangay and SK polls should immediately report the said matter and provide the supporting pieces of evidence so that there will be sufficient basis for the poll body to decide on the said matter.
The Comelec official pointed out that the candidates will be required to sign a covenant for the conduct of honest, orderly and peaceful elections for them to affirm their support to the same to be able to sustain the province identity as one of the most peaceful and orderly local governments during the conduct of national and local elections.
Lampac observed that there are many individuals who want to aspire for the various elected positions for punong barangay and barangay kagawads because of the postponements that had been done previously.
However, he explained that the next batch of barangay as SK officials who will be elected during the upcoming polls will serve for only two years because the next barangay and SK elections will be on the fourth Monday of October 2025.
