Tolentino asks Comelec to delay COC filing period for Barangay, SK polls

MANILA - Senator Francis 'TOL' N. Tolentino has asked the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to delay the scheduled period for the filing of certificate of candidacies (COC) of those running in the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) later this year.

According to Tolentino, having the COC filing period done in July will only "burden the local government units (LGUs)" due to election-related restrictions enshrined under the Omnibus Election Code.

"Ako po ay nakiusap sa Commission on Elections na i-postpone ang filing ng certificate of candidacy sa August. Huwag po sa July dahil napakaaga po ng July," Tolentino said on Monday.

"Magkakaroon na ng napakaraming ban--ban sa employment, ban sa construction," he added.

Tolentino also stressed 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.

"Gun ban na nga, ang dami pang ide-deploy na resources," he said.

The senator said 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.