No substitution after COC filing ‘avoids mockery of polls’: lawmaker

BAGUIO CITY - Mountain Province Lone District Rep. Maximo Dalog Jr. on Monday said allowing substitution only during the period for the filing of candidacy makes politicians more decisive in entering public service. In an interview, Dalog, chairperson of the House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Reforms, said individuals serious about serving the public need to file their candidacy within the allotted time frame and without using a placeholder. 'We have experienced this in the past and it reflects negatively on all of us - voters and candidates,' he said in Ilocano. Last Aug. 12, members of the House of Representatives approved on second reading House Bill 10524, or an act modifing the grounds for substitution of candidates, amending for purpose section 77 of Batas Pambansa Blg. 881, otherwise known as the Omnibus Election Code of the Philippines. In May this year, the Commission on Election (Comelec) En Banc issued guidelines that would govern the 2025 midterm election. Among these are the set ting of the filing of the certificate of candidacy (COC) from October 1 to 8, 2024, which is also the only time that substitutions are allowed. It decided that substitution will be allowed beyond Oct. 8 if the reason is death or disqualification of the candidate, provided that the substitute candidate and the one to be substituted have the same family name and belong to the same political party. Substitution because of death or disqualification would be allowed until mid-day of the election on May 12, 2025 and no substitution is allowed for independent candidates, it said. Source: Philippines News Agency