By Meanne Corvera
Eagle News Service
(Eagle News) – Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III filed his certificate of candidacy with the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) office in Manila for the May 2019 elections Thursday morning, October 11.
Pimentel is seeking his reelection as senator and will be running under the ruling party Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan or PDP-Laban. He is the first senator to file his COC upon the start of the filing of candidacy today, Thursday, October 11, arriving at the Comelec office before 8 a.m.
“There is unfinished business to be pursued in the Senate, legislative business,” Pimentel said in an interview with reporters after filing his COC.
Pimentel said that as of now PDP-Laban would not be able to complete the 12 member senatorial line-up. He said that only five to six candidates are confirmed to run under the PDP-Laban banner.
He said PDP-Laban would not be making any party announcement, and that the candidates themselves would be announcing their candidacies under the ruling party.
The Comelec said that the filing of candidacy for next year’s national and local elections will be on Oct. 11, 12, 15, 16, and 17, after it had been reset from the original schedule of October 1-5.
Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez advised candidates not to turn the filing of COCs into a circus, urging them to file their COCs in a “dignified” manner.
“We don’t want to turn it into a circus of supporters. Ayaw natin na maging magulo,” Jimenez said in a press briefing.
Comelec will accept COCs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for five days.
For candidates to national positions, the poll body will only allow five persons per candidate who will file the COC, including the candidate, to enter Palacio del Gobernador, particularly on the third floor of the Comelec building.
For party-lists, only 10 people per group can enter. The filing of their COCs will be on the eighth floor.
Jimenez said there will be no filing fee for COCs.