The Commission on Elections will start accepting today the Certificates of Candidacy of those vying for elective positions in the May 9, 2022 polls.
Data from the COMELEC show that there are 18,180 seats in the government that will be filled up next year, from national, local and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
Filipino voters will elect a new president, vice president, and 12 senators, who will serve the country for six years. Also to be elected are 253 district representatives, 63 party-list representatives, 81 governors, 81 vice governors, 782 provincial board members, 146 city mayors, 146 city vice mayors, 1,650 city councilors, 1,488 municipal mayors, 1,488 municipal vice mayors, and 11,908 municipal councilors.
In the next six years after the 2022 polls, the fate of the Filipino nation will largely depend on the president, vice president, and senators, who will be installed in the national seats of power. In the provinces, economic direction and development, or the lack of it, will be provided by those who will occupy their respective post in the local government.
As the candidates submit their COCs starting today until Oct. 8, we expect to see familiar names and faces of veteran politicians, idealistic neophytes, and political families with members vying for different positions in one district or region. Even with the health protocols set by the COMELEC, we expect to see supporters of the candidates showing up to manifest their support.
We can only hope that the COC, particularly those for president, vice president, and senator, is a testament of their willingness to serve the 111 million Filipinos scattered in 18 regions and 81 provinces in the country. We would like to think that they have the most sincere intention of working for the best interest of farmers, fisherfolk, individuals residing in rural areas and children, who posted the highest poverty incidence among the basic sectors as identified by the Philippine Statistics Authority in 2018.
Maybe, it is too early to be cynical of the bunch of candidates we will have for next year’s polls. Hope springs eternal and we are crossing our fingers, praying that among those who will hand in their COCs are true leaders who will steer the country towards development and progress in the next few years. — NND
