Commission on Elections (COMELEC) Chairman Atty. George Garcia announced that the Certificates of Candidacy (COC) for all senatorial candidates are now accessible on the agency's website.
“Para sa kaalaman ng mga kababayan po natin, makikita niyo na sa website ng COMELEC simula kahapon pa ‘yung lahat ng Certificates of Candidacy ng lahat ng kandidatong Senador," Garcia said in an exclusive interview with DZRH for Dos Por Dos segment on Wednesday.
“Yung 183 muna, hindi na namin tinanggal muna ‘yung 117," he added.
Moreover, the COMELEC will begin downloading the Certificates of Candidacy for local candidates today, October 30. The public will have access to information on all 44,000 candidates to prevent a recurrence of the issues experienced in Bamban, Tarlac.
Garcia assured that all nuisance cases will be resolved by November 30, including those at the en banc level.
As of now, there are 66 senatorial candidates considered legal and valid, while a total of 183 have filed their applications.
Additionally, a total of 117 candidates are currently facing a petition to have them declared as nuisance candidates.
COMELEC encouraged the public to file a case if they think there are valid grounds for disqualifying a candidate, so that these issues can be addressed.
Garcia added that if the assessment relies solely on the Certificate of Candidacy, it may not be easy to immediately identify any dishonesty. Additional documents are necessary.
On Alice Guo's material misrepresentation case
Chairman Garcia highlighted that dismissed Mayor Alice Guo of Bamban, Tarlac is not the only one charged with a misrepresentation case.
"Maaaring siya lang ang pinaka-sikat na personalidad pero napakadami every month, tulad noong nakaraang buwan halos 80 ang na-file na misrepresentation case," said Garcia.
Garcia emphasized that a misrepresentation case is a criminal offense. He stated that it is not only a ground for disqualifying a candidate but also a basis for potentially imprisoning a candidate due to dishonesty.
"Gusto natin turuan ng leksyon na hindi porket hindi ka pina-disqualify, walang nag-oppose, nag-question sa iyong kandidatura, tatakbo ka, nanalo, na-proklama, naglingkod, ligtas na sapagkat ang misrepresentasyon ay kasong kriminal," Garcia stated.
He noted that misrepresentation cases are not limited to issues of citizenship; they can also include declaring an incorrect age, providing a false address, being an unregistered voter, or falsely claiming to be able to read and write.
