THE week-long filing of certificates of candidacy (COC) – from October 1 to Oct 8 — for the 2025 May elections has started today, Oct 1, said the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
Aspirants vying for a total of 18,280 vacant posts are expected to troop to Comelec offices to file their COCs, formalizing their bids for the 2025 national and local elections (NLE).
A breakdown of the elective positions to be voted for is as follows:
Senators — 12
Party-list representatives — 63
Member, house of representatives — 254
Governor — 82
Vice-governor — 82
Member, Sangguniang Panlalawigan — 800
City mayor — 149
City vice-mayor — 149
Member, Sangguniang Panlungsod — 1,690
Municipal Mayor — 1,493
Municipal Vice-Mayor — 1,493
Member, Sangguniang Bayan — 11,948
BARMM, Members of the Parliament — 25
BARMM, Party Representatives — 40
Senatorial aspirants and party-list representatives will lodge their COCs and Certificates of Nomination and Acceptance (CONAs) at the Law Department Offsite Working Area at the Manila Hotel’s Tent City from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Meanwhile, local Comelec offices will accept the COCs and CONAs of local aspirants. The venues for the filing can be accessed here.
(https://comelec.gov.ph/?r=2025NLE/PressReleases/ChangeOfVenueOfFilingOfCOC)
Under Resolution No. 11045, the Comelec banned the substitution due to withdrawal after the last day of filing COC on October 8.
However, Comelec chairperson George Erwin Garcia said such substitution after COC filing would still be allowed if the candidate died or was disqualified. In such cases, the substitute should share the family name of the disqualified or deceased candidate or belong to the same political party.
