Comelec to publish list of overstaying barangay officials as part of shame drive

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will publish on their website third termers gunning for posts in the upcoming barangay elections as part of its shame drive against ineligible candidates.

"Ipa-publish sa site namin kung sino ang mga overstaying," said Commissioner Christian Robert Lim, who chairs the barangay elections steering committee, at a press briefing on Wednesday.

"Mahiya naman kayo, magfa-file pa kayo ng candidacy," he added, addressing the concerned candidates.

The law on barangay elections gives a three-term limit for village officials.

The poll body said they have yet to request from the Department of Interior and Local Government the total number of overstaying officials.

Citing available data, Commissioner Grace Padaca, the committee's vice chair, said there are 281 barangay chiefs with three terms in Metro Manila, 275 in Zamboanga peninsula, 189 in Davao region, and 183 in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Lim said they would still allow third termers to file their certificates of candidacy (COC) during the filing from October 15 to 17, but they may deem them ineligible.

"The main office may decide to file motu proprio the cancellation of these COCs if they exceed three terms," he said.

Three termers who will insist on their eligibility may face criminal cases, Lim warned.

As of Wednesday morning, the Comelec has printed over 25.9 million ballots, or 48 percent of the total 54 million that will be used for the barangay elections. Of this number, some 23.9 million have been "sheeted and cut."

Around 54 million voters are expected to vote in the barangay polls, while only 3.2 million for the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) election, which may be postponed depending on the results of ongoing Congress deliberations.

The Comelec has set aside 170,603 clustered precincts for the barangay polls and 45,775 for the SK elections. There are 42,028 barangays in 80 provinces across the country. — KBK, GMA News