MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said a candidate can withdraw his candidacy and file a certificate of candidacy (COC) for another position until Friday, October 16.
Comelec spokesman James Jimenez confirmed this general rule on Thursday, October 15, when asked about the case of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, who filed his COC for reelection in Davao City.
His supporters have been courting Duterte to run for president. After all, the Davao City mayor has been one of the leading contenders for the presidency according to recent surveys.
Duterte, for his part, has been sending mixed signals for the past few months, flip-flopping on different occasions on whether he will run for president.
Duterte on Thursday, however, filed his COC for reelection as Davao mayor through a representative.
Multiple COCs prohibited
Jimenez said he cannot comment on the specific case of Duterte.
Still, the Comelec spokesman said the poll body’s rules allow candidates to withdraw their COCs and file COCs for other positions.
They can only do so until Friday, the deadline for filing COCs.
Jimenez added that as far as he knows, the Comelec prohibits the filing of multiple COCs.
This means Duterte cannot run for mayor and president at the same time.
Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista said the poll body, as of now, is not inclined to extend the deadline for the filing of candidacies. – Rappler.com