NO candidates from Cagayan de Oro City’s 1st Congressional District have filed their Certificates of Candidacy (CoC) as of 12 p.m. today, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) confirmed.
First District Comelec Officer Atty. Dexter Nagtalon shared the update during a press briefing, Meet the Press, hosted by the Cagayan de Oro Press Club. Nagtalon said there are 198,989 registered voters in the district but, so far, no one has submitted their candidacy.
Nagtalon urged aspirants to limit their entourage to three people when filing, citing the limited space in their office located in Carmen, and emphasizing the safety of candidates and visitors.
The office, he noted, is near the Carmen Police Station, and security plans are already in place with the Philippine National Police (PNP) deputized for assistance.
The election officer also announced that voting centers will largely remain the same as in the 2022 elections, with the exception of two clusters in Upper Carmen that will be relocated to SM Uptown for the city’s first-ever mall voting.
“Naa ta’y mall voting first time mahitabo diri sa first district,” said Nagtalon. He said it was approved by the Comelec commissioners and they are now facilitating the information dissemination of the said mall voting.
Nagtalon addressed concerns about nuisance candidates, clarifying that while they may lack the capacity for a serious campaign, they are still considered official candidates under the law.
“Ang pasabot ana dili siya serious. Wala siya’y capacity to maintain a valid campaign. This is the time that Comelec will consider an aspirant as nuisance candidate,” he told reporters.
