TWO days after the close of the filing period for certificates of candidacy (COCs) for the Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections (BPE) 2025, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday said it is now ready to cleanse the list of aspirants for parliamentary district representatives and regional parliamentary political parties.
In an interview, Comelec chairman George Garcia said they are now accepting petitions for disqualification, for declaration as nuisance candidates, and for the cancellation of candidacy against the political aspirants in the forthcoming Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) elections.
“We will now receive petitions to declare as nuisance candidates, or petitions to cancel candidacy in the BPE,” said Garcia.
“Such petitions must be filed here at the Comelec as it is the Comelec divisions and the en banc that will resolve these petitions,” he added.
Garcia’s statement comes after 109 aspirants for parliamentary district representatives filed their COCs, while eight regional parliamentary political parties (RPPPs) filed their certificates of acceptance of nomination (CANs) and List of Nominees.
The COC filing period for the BPE 2025 ran from November 4 to 9.
With the aspirants in the BARMM now known, Garcia called on all stakeholders to maintain the peace and order in the region ahead of the election period.
“We hope that these aspirants will still show that they can still talk with each other and hold peaceful dialogues… Let us remove the tension,” said Garcia.
The 109 aspirants for parliamentary district representatives are as follows: 41 in Lanao del Sur, 15 in Maguindanao del Norte, 15 in Maguindanao del Sur, 14 in Basilan, 10 in Tawi-Tawi, 9 in Cotabato City, and five in the Special Geographic Area (SGA) in Cotabato.
On the other hand, eight RPPPs filed their CAN and List of Nominees as well as Manifestation of Intent to Participate in the Parliamentary Elections (MIP-PE).
