The Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Bacolod City is urging candidates for the 2025 midterm elections not to wait for the deadline for filing of certificates of candidacy (COCs) on October 8.
In a radio interview yesterday, Comelec-Bacolod election officer Revo Sorbito said the early filing of COCs will give them enough time to check the candidates’ documents and provide appropriate solutions in case of problems.
Sorbito said only two candidates for Bacolod lone district representative have filed their COCs since the filing opened on Tuesday, October 1.
Former Bacolod Mayor Evelio “Bing” Leonardia and former seafarer Romy Gustilo are both running for the position.
Sorbito said the submitted requirements from the filers will be delivered to the Comelec national office on October 12.
An Election Registration Board hearing will be held on October 14.
Meanwhile, 2,013 aspirants in Negros Occidental submitted their COCs on the second day of filing, according to the Comelec.
Fifty-four candidates filed COCs for district representative, 12 for governor, seven for vice governor, 112 for Sangguniang Panlalawigan member, 179 for mayor, 166 for vice mayor, and 1,473 for councilor.
A total of 3,259 aspirants will run for local positions since the COC filing started on Tuesday, Comelec-Negros Occidental said.
Mayoralty race
Seven candidates have submitted their COCs for mayoralty races on the first three days of filing in Negros Occidental.
According to the data of Comelec-NegOcc, incumbent Silay City Mayor Joedith Gallego and Jose Luis Jalandoni of La Carlota City filed their COCs on Tuesday.
Eliezer Duron, Jr. of Kabankalan City, Maria Rowena Guadalupe Lopez Lizares of Talisay City, Ramil Carpio of Binalbagan town, and incumbent Murcia Mayor Gerry Rojas submitted their candidacies on the following day.
Ilog Mayor John Paul Alvarez also filed his COC yesterday.
Lacson files COC
Meanwhile, Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson formally filed his COC for his third term as governor yesterday afternoon.
Lacson was accompanied by his running mate, 4th District Board Member Jose Benito Alonso, who will run for vice governor.
The governor said he assured that no local government unit in the province would be left behind in the next three years of his term.
“I’m very happy to have their support as we have managed the provincial government for the past five years now,” Lacson said.
He said he still has a lot of unfinished business in the provincial government.
Over 700 local positions
More than 700 local positions are up for grabs in the Negros Island Region (NIR) for the 2025 midterm elections, the Comelec-NIR Records and Statistics Division said.
The number of elective positions in the newly-established region, composed of Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental and Siquijor, in the May 2025 elections are 11 representatives, three governors, three vice governors, 28 board members, 19 city mayors, 19 city vice mayors, 192 city councilors, 44 town mayors, 44 town vice mayors, and 352 municipal councilors.
Negros Occidental has a total of 354 positions up for grabs in 31 local government units, while Negros Oriental has 277 positions, and Siquijor has 69 positions.
Bacolod, the lone highly urbanized city in the region, has 15 positions./WDJ