The filing of the Certificates of Candidacy for the Barangay
and Sangguniang Kabataan synchronized elections is until midnight
tonight, Bacolod election officer Mavil Majarucon said yesterday.
Majarucon said she is reminding those who have filed their
COC's that the deadline for submission of their drug test certificates
is also until midnight. The COMELEC will not accept drug test certificates
beyond the deadline and the names of candidates who failed to comply
with the requirement will be submitted to their Legal Office for
publication, she added.
There is no law disqualifying the candidates from running
if they fail to submit a drug test certificate, the purpose of the
COMELEC for requiring drug testing is only for public information,
she said. However, if they win, there is a law that requires all
government employees to undergo drug testing before they assume
office, Majarucon added.
She said the campaign period for the Barangay and SK elections
is from Oct. 19-27 and that her office has designated poster areas
in every barangay. In Bacolod as of Tuesday, there were 116 who
have filed their COC's for barangay captain; 1,292 for barangay
kagawad; 69 for SK chairman; and 165 for SK kagawad.
Malacaņang has declared Oct. 29, Monday, a special non-working
holiday throughout the country for the synchronized Barangay and
SK elections.
Proclamation No. 1403, signed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
on Tuesday, states that: "It is important to give the people the
fullest opportunity to participate in the said elections and exercise
their right to vote," a press release from Malacaņang said.
The Commission on Elections has said that 51,376,318 registered
voters - 48,221,863 for barangay and 3,154,455 for SK polls - are
expected to troop to 238,486 precincts established for the Oct.
29 polls, the press release added.
Voters are expected to elect a total of 671,120 barangay and
SK officials in 41,945 barangays nationwide.
The synchronized barangay and SK elections are based on the
newly amended Republic Act No. 9340, approved on Sept. 22, 2005
by the 13th Congress of the Philippines which prescribed that the
said polls would occur on the last Monday of October 2007 and in
subsequent elections after three years.
The last synchronized barangay and SK polls were held in July
2002.*CGS
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