QUIAPO, MANILA – The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) Chairman George Garcia announced that COMELEC decided to ban candidate substitutions based on withdrawal after the final day of filing certificates of candidacy (COC) on Wednesday, May 15.
“Candidates, lay your cards on the table. Be up front about your candidacy and there will be no more changes. If you’re really decided, then lay it out at once. File your candidacy,” Garcia said.
The deadline for filing COCs for the May 2025 midterm elections is set from October 1 to 8. Before, candidates could substitute until November 15. But this is no longer the case.
“This move is to ensure that the public is not misled,” he added.
Rules for Substitution
Under the new rules, substitution is only allowed in cases of death or disqualification of a candidate. The substitute must belong to the same political party as the original candidate. Also, they need to share the same surname.
As per COMELEC Spokesman Rex Laudiangco, the releasing of the official list of candidates will be at the end of the filing period. This will help voters further assess the candidates. Also, there will be enough time for filing disqualification complaints if needed.
Transparency for voters
“To show the public that these people have filed COC and so the evaluation and research into their persons can start if they deserve our vote or not,” Laudiangco said.
The list will be posted in all COMELEC offices and on the Comelec website for public scrutiny.
Laudiangco also mentioned that COMELEC will allow electronic filing of disqualification petitions. This aims to resolve complaints fast, ensuring that all issues are settled before ballot printing.
Internet Voting for Overseas Filipinos
Despite the absence of a specific law, COMELEC moves forward with internet voting for Filipinos abroad for the 2025 elections. Garcia stated that no legal objections had been made and that the decision was taken with due thought.
“We felt the consequences would be heavier if we canceled internet voting, which is presently being expected by our countrymen abroad,” Garcia said.
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III has expressed concerns about the use of internet voting. But COMELEC remains committed to implementing it.
“We should all be on our toes and alert because we are using a new system this 2025, but of course for the cause of democracy and clean election, we should be alert and monitor the elections. The weakness of automated [elections] is that we are deprived of paper trail to trace back which we did way back in 2004,” he stated.
