ILOILO City – The Commission on Elections dismissed claims that there is an insufficient supply of documentary stamps needed for the filing of certificates of candidacy.
Comelec started accommodating on Saturday COCs for the May 14 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections.
The documentary stamp will be used in shipping a copy of the COC to the Comelec central office. It may be bought from the Bureau of Internal Revenue.
The BIR has assured Comelec that they have enough supply of documentary stamps for whoever wants to file a COC, according to Comelec regional director Dennis Ausan.
“There is no such thing,” Ausan said when sought for comment on the alleged lack of documentary stamps.
“Sufficient ang number nila sang documentary stamps – sufficient katama to accommodate all prospective applicants,” he stressed.
All the BIR told prospective candidates was they may head to the agency’s Revenue District Offices to buy documentary stamps in case their municipal halls have none, said Ausan.
During previous barangay elections, some prospective candidates would reportedly buy documentary stamps in bulk and resell them at a higher price – prompting the agency to impose stiffer control on its supply.
Comelec requires prospective candidates to file six copies of their COC.
Only one of the copies – the one that will be sent to the Comelec central office – will actually bear the documentary stamp while the rest will bear only the documentary stamp number, Ausan clarified.
Meanwhile Ausan said local election offices across Western Visayas have not encountered any major problem during the first day of the filing of COCs.
“So far, so good,” he said. “While in some areas may influx pero very manageable.”
Comelec offices accommodated prospective candidates on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. They will be open again today until April 20.
Local election offices will start submitting to the regional office the records of Day 1 COC filers today, Ausan said./PN
