ROXAS City – Capiz provincial election supervisor Wil Arceño told Pilar municipal election officer Loel Firmalino to stop imposing “his own guidelines” in relation to the filing of certificates of candidacy (COCs) for the upcoming barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections.
Arceño said this after candidates in Pilar complained about Firmalino’s order to schedule the filing of COCs per village.
“Nakibot kami nga ang kada barangay may kaugalingon nga schedule sa pag-file sang ila certificates of candidacy. Indi ka pwede maka-file kon indi pa inyo schedule,” John Vincent Patricio – who is running for village chief in Barangay Poblacion, Pilar – told Panay News.
Patricio added, “Supposing that they cannot accommodate all the candidates based on their scheduled date, ano matabo?”
Firmalino defended his order, saying that he devised the schedule to “avoid inconvenience on the part of the candidates.”
He told this reporter that the schedule was agreed upon by the 24 incumbent barangay chief executives in Pilar during a consultation.
“Wala kami nagdesisyon kung wala nagpasugot ang mga incumbent barangay captains. Ang akon tani nga purpose nga mangin in order ang amon nga filing,” Firmalino said. “This will decongest the crowd during the filing of COCs kay gamay lang amon opisina.”
Arceño said while scheduling of the COC filing per village is for the candidates’ convenience, the move may be “misinterpreted” and is “prone to malice.”
“The manner of filing of COCs must be on a ’first come, first serve’ basis. You cannot impose a schedule just for a specific barangay. That’s why I ordered him to stop because it is not allowed,” Arceño said./PN
