Fewer people aspire to become lawmakers for the 18th Congress.
The Commission on Election (Comelec) ended yesterday its registration of candidates with only 152 people having filed their Certificates of Candidacy (COC) and 185 groups their Certificates of Acceptance and Nomination (CONA).
These applicants will now go through screening before Comelec releases its final list of candidates who will be included in the 2019 midterm elections ballots.
Comelec Commissioner Marlon Casquejo said they expect to release the final list of candidates on Dec. 15, 2018 in time for the printing of ballots on Jan. 2019.
COCs are filed by senatorial candidates, and CONAs are for those who would like to represent party lists.
Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon said they expected this trend since there are traditionally fewer number of aspiring candidates during a midterm polls.
She said their voter’s education against nuisance candidates have helped whittle down insincere candidates.
During the COC and CONA filing period in the 2016 presidential elections, the poll body received 172 senatorial aspirants and 213 potential representatives of party lists.
Despite the fewer number of applicants, Comelec said the five-day COC and CONA filing exercise this year is more “dignified” compared to that of 2016.
“Compared to the last elections this is not circus-like. Generally the candidates who filed were quite earnest,” Guanzon said.
She said many of the candidates who filed are qualified and want to be genuinely heard.
Comelec held the COC on Oct. 11 to 12, and Oct. 15 to 17.
Citing initial data from their regional offices, Guazon reported the registered the following number of candidates for regional positions: 108 candidates for governor; 61 for vice governor; 712 for provincial governor ; 1,838 candidates for city and municipal mayors.
“This is as of yesterday, Oct 16, 2018,” Guanzon said.