At a press conference in Iloilo, Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Garcia proposed a ban on changing candidates due to voluntary withdrawal after filing the certificate of candidature (COC).
Garcia, moreover, said that Individuals who have filed their certificates of candidature (COC) will be unable to modify after October 8, or the last day of COC filing, unless they are disqualified or died.
Specifically, Garcia said that they will allow it from October 1 to October 8, and beyond that, if the candidates decide to withdraw, it won’t be allowed anymore.
Garcia said he would propose to the en banc and pursue it because many netizens made comments about it.
However, after the COC filing period, Garcia stated that the law does not specify whether withdrawal is permitted or not.
As a result, he stated that withdrawal as a reason for substitution is still illegal after candidacy filing.