MANILA— The period of filing candidacy and nomination certificates finished Friday following unprecedented pandemic-adapted proceedings led by the Commission on Elections, ushering in election season in the Philippines.
The past week saw expected declarations and comeback bids, as well as surprises and odd moments at the Sofitel Manila tent, where the poll body had set the filing of certificates of candidacy (COCs) and certificates of nomination and acceptance for national bets, instead of its headquarters, as a COVID-19 precaution.
When the period of filing ended, Comelec counted 97 candidates for president, 29 for Vice President, 176 for the Senate, and 270 nominees for sectoral representation.
For local positions, there were 733 contenders for district representatives, 281 for governor, 226 for vice governor, 1,951 for provincial board members, 4,486 for mayor, 3,968 for vice mayor, and 35,636 for councilor.
Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said in a TeleRadyo interview that the candidates would go through a stringent screening process to pick out which ones are serious and which ones are nuisance bets.
He said the final list of candidates may be finalized by December.
Here's Comelec's official list of candidates who filed their COCs for national positions and CONAs for sectoral nomination. The names are arranged by date and time of filing.
PRESIDENT
VICE PRESIDENT
SENATOR
PARTYLIST
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