Manila-based election lawyer Dexter Francisco says the days of candidates submitting Certificate of Nomination and Acceptance (CONA) issued by political parties for the same position are over.
COMELEC has issued Resolution No. 11045 providing rules and regulations governing, among others, the filing of CONAs by official candidates of registered political parties or coalitions of such parties for the 2025 National and Local Elections (NLE).
The chairperson or president, or the secretary general of the party or coalition, shall personally submit to the Law Department a Sworn List of Authorized Signatories by Sept. 30. 2024, together with proof of authority from the party or coalition.
The list shall contain the names of the authorized signatories including their three (3) specimen signatures, positions in the party, and their respective jurisdictions, whether national or local in scope or for national or local elective positions or both.
Said list, the guidelines said, shall explicitly state whose nomination shall prevail in case of disputes on nominations or conflicting signatories for one (1) elective position.
Sec. 4 of the guidelines provides that failure to submit the list would result in the declaration of the party’s nominees as independent candidates.
In Sec. 31, the COMELEC provides that no party or coalition shall be allowed to nominate more than the number of candidates required to be voted for in a particular elective position.
For example, if the authorized signatories for the same party nominated a total of 10 candidates for the 8 available seats in the Sangguniang Bayan, all such nominations shall be denied due course by the Commission and the aspirants shall be declared independent candidates.
In case two or more authorized signatories nominated different candidates for the same position, the aspirant nominated by the duly recognized authorized signatory identified as the one to prevail in the Sworn List shall be given due course and shall be declared as the official candidate.
Any other aspirant nominated by other authorized signatories shall be declared as independent candidate.
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A review of the same guidelines on the filing of COC shows that an aspirant may file a COC for more than one office but he or she shall not be eligible for any of them.
COMELEC says the aspirant may personally or through an authorized representative, file with the proper Office not later than October 8, 2024 a sworn Statement of Cancellation to maintain the desired office and cancel the COC for the other office.
Thus, anyone could file separate COCs for governor and congressman on Oct. 1, the first day of filing, and keep rivals guessing until the Oct. 8 deadline as to what position he would be aiming for in the 2025 NLE.
Res. No. 11045 keeps the provision that any person holding a public appointive office or position, including active AFP members, and other officers and employees in GOCCs, shall be considered resigned from office and must vacate the office at the start of the regular office hours of the day when the aspirant filed the COC.
More on the other provisions in the COMELEC guidelines next time.
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TIME EXTENSION. Mr. Collins, worried about his failing health, went back to his doctor.
“Brace yourself, Mr. Collins,” the physician told the patient on whom he had performed a battery of costly tests. “You have approximately six months to live.”
“But I don’t have insurance, Doctor,” said Collins, “and I can’t skimp and save enough to pay you in that time!”
“All right, all right,” soothed the doctor. “Let’s say nine months, then.”