COC-FILING: oct 11 to 17
Police are ready to secure the different offices of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Central Visayas which will be the venues of the filing of the certificates of candidacy for those running in the 2019 midterm elections.
Supt. Reyman Tolentin, Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) public information officer, said this when asked about the police preparations for the the filing of the Certificates of Candidacy (COCs) on Oct. 11 until Oct. 17 (excluding the weekend) for next year’s election.
Tolentin said, during an interview on Saturday, that they already had a security template for this, and they would only make changes on the security template if Chief Supt. Debold Sinas, PRO-7 chief, would have additional orders or make minor changes in the template.
He said that the template would include securing the different venues where the candidates would file their COCs.
This will also include increasing the police alert level from normal to heightened alert, where police will be directed to intensify their security operations like securing the venues, more foot patrols, checkpoints among others.
Aside from that, he also said that there would be a possible joint coordinating meeting of concerned agencies prior to the start of COC filing.
The meeting will be headed by the Comelec, the Philippine National Police and the Philippine Army (Central Command) and other concerned agencies.
According to Section 17 of the Comelec Resolution No. 10420 or the rules and regulations relating to the May 13, 2019 elections, which include the filing of the COCs, the venues where the candidates can file their COCs are: Senators – Comelec Law Department; members of the House of Representatives for legislative districts in provinces – Office of the Provincial Election Supervisor concerned; provincial officials – Office of the Provincial Election Supervisor; city officials – Office of the City Election Officer; and municipal officials – Office of the Municipal Election Officer.