Solon lauds Comelec’s decision to reset COC filing for BSKE
SENATOR Francis N. Tolentino on Wednesday lauded the decision of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to delay the scheduled period for the filing of the certificate of candidacies (COCs) of those running in the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) later this year.
In a statement, Tolentino said the swift decision of the poll body to grant the request to reschedule the filing period for BSKE candidates on a much later date will not only help the local government units (LGUs) from performing well but will also help prevent election-related violence since “it will lessen early politicking.”
“The poll body’s decision will allow our local government units (LGUs) to perform their respective functions without any compromise or restrictions – construction ban, etc.,” said Tolentino, vice chair of the Senate Committee on Electoral Reforms and People’s Participation.
The Comelec en banc on Wednesday approved the letter request filed by Tolentino and reset the filing period of COCs for BSKE candidates from July 3-7 to August 28 until September 2, 2023.
According to Tolentino, it is only just and fair to adjust the time frame of the filing period considering that BSKE will be held during the last week of October 2023 and since the law only prescribed a 10-day campaign period when electing barangay and youth leaders.
Tolentino earlier stressed that having the COC filing period done in July will only “burden the local government units (LGUs)” due to election-related restrictions enshrined in the Omnibus Election Code, adding that having an early filing period will only “entail” the administrative expenses of the Philippine National Police (PNP) as the security checkpoints will be extended for additional days.
