Comelec eyes July COC filings for 2028 polls

Comelec chairperson George Erwin Garcia is considering moving the filing period for certificates of candidacy (COC) for the 2028 presidential elections from October to July.

This proposed change would provide more time for resolving nuisance cases and allow candidates to appeal decisions to the Supreme Court before campaigning begins.

Garcia assured that conducting the COC period in July will give them ample time to resolve possible cases, with decisions made by September and appeals filed by December.

The Comelec chief also mentioned that Comelec conducted a trusted build for an automated election system (AES) to include additional names on ballots, as per recent SC rulings.

Reprinting of 73 million ballots for this year's polls will begin on Wednesday, January 22, following SC orders to reinstate several local candidates who were previously disqualified.

Garcia assured that the costs associated with reprinting the ballots would be covered by contingency funds and that Comelec has deputized the National Printing Office to expedite the process.

The commission is disposing of six million wasted ballots through paper melting after the National Archives prohibited micro-shredding for recycling.