The substitution option for candidates cannot be removed, according to COMELEC.
COMELEC — A Commission on Elections official maintained that the substitution option for candidates can’t be removed and that there’s nothing wrong with it.
On Friday, COMELEC Commissioner Rowena Guanzon told CNN Philippines’ The Final Word that the substitution option for candidates was “already allowed”.
“We cannot do that. Why will you not allow them to substitute? Even before our 1987 Constitution, substitution was already allowed,” Guanzon said. “They should be allowed to substitute. What is wrong with that? The people will vote for whoever they want anyway.”
Guanzon also cited the case of the late Senator Gaudencio Antonino, who died in a plane crash during an election year and had to be replaced by his wife.
CNN Philippines reported that two political analysts said in an earlier interview that the substitution option for candidates should now be removed, with one calling it “an outdated provision because it is based on the idea that political parties are the way we organize our politics”.
This, as supporters of Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte remained hopeful that she would still change her mind and run for president in the 2022 elections. If this were to happen, Mayor Sara could replace Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa — the standard-bearer of the Cusi-led PDP-Laban party.
READ ALSO: Harry Roque Says Expressing Support For Candidates In Public Events Can’t Be Avoided
The senator submitted his certificate of candidacy for president on the last day of COC filing at the Sofitel tent in Pasay City.
According to Guanzon, there’s no legal obstacle for Mayor Sara’s substitution as she can still withdraw her certificate of candidacy for reelection, take her oath before PDP-Laban, and replace Senator dela Rosa.
A total of 97 presidential aspirants and 29 vice-presidential hopefuls filed their certificates of candidacy before the Commission on Elections (COMELEC).
The voluntary substitution was allowed until November 15 and the final list of candidates for the 2022 polls will be released in December.
For more news and updates, you may feel free to visit this site more often. You may also visit Newspapers.ph via our official Facebook page and YouTube channel.