COMMISSION on Elections-Davao Region (Cemelec-Davao) Assistant Regional Director, Atty. Gay Enumerables revealed that all aspiring candidates for the upcoming Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections 2023 (BSKE) who filed Certificate of Candidacy (COC) are not affiliated with any political parties and are considered independent candidates.
“Actually, dili sila tanan partido because all of them are considered independent candidates pero they can group themselves. They are not representing any political parties (Actually, all of them can fall under independent candidates but they can group themselves. They are not representing any political parties),” she said.
Under the Omnibus Election Code of the Philippines, Sec. 38, Conduct of Elections, “the barangay election shall be non-partisan and shall be conducted in an expeditious and inexpensive manner. No person who files a COC shall allow himself to be represented as a candidate of any political party, political group, or any organized group.”
The filing of COC started yesterday, August 28, 2023, where thousands of candidates including its supporters showed up, a major reason why the electoral regional office had to request additional security officials from the Davao City Police Office (DCPO).
“Na-shock mi sa kadaghan sa tao. Nag expect mi nga gamay lang. Maong nagpatabang mi [og] additional manpower from the PNP [Philippine National Police] for crowd management (We were shocked by the huge number of people outside. We are expecting less. This is the reason why we asked help from the PNP for crowd management),” she said.
She also clarified the right process for filing a candidate's COC since many aspirants overlooked the regulations set by the Comelec-National Office.
According to her, each candidate should properly fill out the form given to them with their clear signature, and passport-size photos, and have to submit their papers to the records department for further checking. Those who are not registered in their original barangays are prohibited from filing the COC.
Meanwhile, in terms of security measures, the Comelec-Davao has not reported any election-related violence or incidents during the first day of COC filing.
DCPO Spokesperson Capt. Hazel Tuazon also confirmed in a radio interview that they have not recorded any violations on the first day of the implementation of the Comelec gun ban in the city.
Filing will end this Saturday, September 6, 2023, at Magsaysay Park, Davao City. The office will only cater to aspirants from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. DEF