Manila: The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is considering pushing to an earlier schedule the filing of the certificates of candidacy (COC) for the 2028 elections. In an interview on Monday, Comelec Chairperson George Garcia stated that instead of the usual October 2027 timeframe, they are planning to conduct the filing period in July of that year.

According to Philippines News Agency, Garcia explained that holding the COC filing in July would allow sufficient time to resolve potential cases. He emphasized that candidates are only officially recognized during the campaign period. By filing in July, there would be ample time to address any issues, and those receiving unfavorable rulings would still have the opportunity to appeal to the Supreme Court.

Garcia detailed that if the filing period were to remain from October 1 to 8, the resolutions would need to be completed by the end of November. Moving the period to July would enable decisions to be made at the Commission en banc level by September, providing candidates until December to escalate cases to the Supreme Court.

The Comelec chairperson highlighted that the body’s seven-member panel possesses the authority to alter the schedule of activities related to electoral processes in the country. He noted that while the schedule is within Comelec’s purview, adjusting the COC filing period could have implications on other election-related matters.

Garcia pointed out that advancing the COC filing to July would necessitate the completion of voter registration before that time, among other logistical considerations. Traditionally, the COC filing period for national and local candidates has been set in October of the year preceding the elections, with the 2025 elections having the filing period from October 1 to 8, 2024.