Manila: The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will upload online all Certificates of Candidacy (COCs) filed by aspirants for Regional Parliamentary District Representatives in the upcoming Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections (BPE), Comelec Chairperson George Garcia said Thursday. Garcia stated that the public may access and review the COCs through the poll body's official website, www.comelec.gov.ph. "The public can expect that we will post in our official website, the COCs, so that the people will immediately know who are the candidates running in their areas," he said in an interview. The Comelec chief said the move aims to promote transparency and allow voters to scrutinize the qualifications of candidates seeking seats in the Bangsamoro Parliament. "If they see a problem in the COC, they could immediately bring it to the attention of the Comelec or file the appropriate petition," Garcia said.

According to Philippines News Agency, the three-day filing period for Regional Parliamentary District Representatives ended Thursday. Comelec said it received a total of 41 COCs from the seven areas in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) from May 5 to 6. The submissions included five from Basilan, 14 from Lanao del Sur, two from Maguindanao del Norte, eight from Maguindanao del Sur, five from Tawi-Tawi, two from the Special Geographic Area, and five from Cotabato City.

Meanwhile, the poll body approved the accreditation applications of 16 groups as Regional Parliamentary Political Parties (RPPPs). It also accredited 23 organizations as Parliamentary Sectoral Organizations (PSOs) for the BPE out of the 26 groups that applied. Under the electoral system for the September polls, 40 representatives from RPPPs will be elected through proportional representation. Six of the eight PSO seats will also be contested during the BPE, while the remaining two seats reserved for the Non-Moro Indigenous Peoples sector will be filled through an Inter-Tribal Convention.