Thick crowds, long lines on first day of COC filing at Comelec Manila office

Aspiring barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) candidates swarmed the Commission on Elections (Comelec) office in Aroceros, Manila on the first day of the one-week period for the filing of certificates of candidacy (COC).

According to a Balitanghali report on Saturday, the office is expecting to receive as many as 3,000 applications per day until the period ends on April 20.

"Meron kaming pila para sa seniors, priority natin 'yan, tapos 'yung nagbibigay tayo ng number para hindi magulo ang pila," Comelec Officer 3 Enrique Santos said.

"So ngayon, siyempre, first day. Kumbaga, parang nag-aadjust pa tayo. Pero I assure you na (in) the coming days, smooth. But again, we cannot please everybody," he added.

Some applicants interviewed spent up to five hours in line.

Comelec officials were quoted as saying Saturday's crowd was "tolerable," despite the bustle of the thick crowd under a hot weather.

The area was being monitored by 100 Manila Police District personnel to ensure the safety of the applicants.

COCs can be submitted within office hours that end at 5 p.m.

Manila alone has over 800 barangays, each needing one barangay captain, one SK chairman and seven kagawads.

The official campaign period for the barangay and SK election does not start until May 4 and will end on May 12. — Margaret Claire Layug/MDM, GMA News