Comelec Prepares for Last-Minute Rush as Candidacy Filing Deadline Nears

October 6, 2024, Manila –

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is anticipating a surge of candidates in the final two days of the filing period for certificates of candidacy (COC) and certificates of nomination and acceptance (CON-CAN) on Monday and Tuesday.

Comelec will accept filings past the official 5 p.m. deadline as long as candidates are already within the venue by that time.

“The remaining candidates are still quite numerous, so we expect a large turnout in the last two days of COC filing,” Comelec Chairperson George Garcia said in a press briefing on Sunday.

On Sunday alone, eight more candidates filed their COCs for the senatorial race, raising the total number of aspirants to 78 since the filing began on October 1. Among those who filed were ACT-CIS Rep. Erwin Tulfo, reelectionist Senator Pia Cayetano, and singer-lawyer Jimmy Bondoc, all running under the administration party PDP-Laban.

Cayetano made a statement by arriving at The Manila Hotel Tent City on a bicycle, accompanied by fellow cyclists, emphasizing her health and environmental advocacies.

Additionally, four more party-list groups submitted their CON-CANs, increasing the number of organizations vying for seats in Congress to 87.