Bontoc, Mountain Province – The Provincial Election Supervisor called on candidates who are serious in their political plans to personally file their certificates for candidacy (COCs) for the positions they aspire for to avoid unnecessary congestions in the various election offices, especially with the present pandemic requiring the observance of the minimum public health standards.
Provincial Election Supervisor lawyer Ricardo Lampac stated that candidates who are really serious in their political plans and are capable to run a decent campaign under the present circumstances should be the ones who will be filing their COCs to help in easing the burden of the poll body in having to include many names in the official ballot that will contribute in prolonging the stay of the voters in the established precincts.
He said that candidates must coordinate with the election offices where they intend to file their COCs to make an appointment with the concerned COMELEC office for the time and date they will be in the said offices to officially file their COCs to avoid the lining up of people which may violate the existing minimum public health standards as they do not want that the filing of COCs will be the cause of the spread of the virus in the province.
Lampac claimed that nuisance candidates should refrain from filing their COCs to avoid unnecessary confusion among voters in the upcoming May 9, 2022 synchronized national and local elections.
The provincial election officer stipulated that the different election offices in the province are ready in time for the scheduled filing of COCs by individuals aspiring for various elected positions on October 1-8, 2021 as preparations had already been done by the various election officers to ensure their adherence to the prescribed minimum public health standards.
According to him, individuals intending to file their COCs must comply with the prescribed health and safety protocols in the election offices where they intend to submit their COCs, like undergoing the required triaging to ensure that the candidates and their allowed companions are not sick when filing the COCs.
Lampac urged the candidates to file their COCs at the earliest possible time and avoid the last minute filing to prevent the crowding of people in the election offices to ensure the health and safety of the people, particularly the officials and employees of the poll body, the candidates and their allowed companions.
He disclosed that the different Comelec offices in the province had to make adjustments in the way transactions are conducted in compliance with the guidelines crafted by the inter-agency task force for the management of emerging infectious diseases to contain the rapid spread of the virus in the different parts of the country.
After the deadline for the filing of COCs, election officers will be tasked to submit to the Comelec central office the filed COCs as part of the procedures prior to the inclusion of the names of the qualified candidates to the official ballots for next year’s political exercise.
Mountain Province is targeting to have at least 108,000 voters who will cast their votes in the conduct of next year’s synchronized national and local elections.
(RPN DZBS Baguio News Team)