The Manila Hotel Tent City’s 2,400 square meter-wide area which can house 1,800 guests will be transformed as the certificate of candidacy’s (COC) filing venue for those aspiring to become a senator or a party-list representative next year. 

The COC filing will run from October 1 to 8.

Those running for congressmen and other local positions can file their COC in local Commission on Elections (Comelec) offices.

The venue may be huge, but Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia warned would-be COC filers not to bring throngs of supporters to the venue, and turn it into a festival.

Garcia, along with Elections Commissioners Ernesto Maceda and Rey Bulay, personally inspected the Tent City on Tuesday, in line with the commission’s ongoing preparations for next year’s electoral exercises.

“Kaya nga nagkaroon ng limitasyon na tatlo lang pwede isama ng nagpa-file ng COC. Sana po sundin sapagkat mahirap naman makipag-matigasan or pag pinanindigan namin na ito lang pwede pumasok, magkakapahiyaan pa po tayo. Para maiwasan, piliin na lang sino pwede isama. ginagawa natin yan para gawing orderly ang filing ng COC,” Garcia told journalists.

Party-list groups are also only allowed to be represented by a maximum of four representatives when they file their COC, Garcia stressed.

Garcia issued the warning to all political parties, aspirants, and party-list groups who will be filing their COC and Certificate of Nomination and Acceptance (CONA).

The restriction covers even incumbent government officials, Garcia said.

“Kasi pag tayo ay nagiging flexible, masisisi tayo ng ibang sumusunod. 'Yan ay applicable to all. Therefore, walang exemption dyan. Wala tayong igagalang anuman katayuan ng magpa-file, incumbent man or hindi. Ito ay para sa lahat,” the official said.

Still, political aspirants who would opt to bring throngs of supporters outside the COC filing venue cannot be prevented by the Comelec, Garcia said.

Even those who intend to mark their COC filing day as a festival or engage other gimmick like food-feeding activity Garcia said, cannot be stopped by their office.

And again, the Comelec cannot also stop aspirants who would opt to wear something with a “vote for” message or flash a tarpaulin at the COC filing venue, Garcia said.

The Comelec previously discussed its intention to file early campaigning or electioneering against political wannabes, who are obviously using different ways to promote themselves to voters.

The Supreme Court, in its Piñera versus Comelec case ruling, however, ruled that anybody even if he or she has already filed a COC, can only be considered as political candidate on February 11 if one is targeting a national position, or March 28 if eyeing a local seat.

Given this limitation,  Garcia called on the Filipino electorate.

“Ngayon pa nga lang mayroon nang lumalabas sa TV na mga ads. Mayroon nang pagkalalaking tarpaulin na nasa mga kalsada, hindi po namin kayang pigilan. Pero syempre, ang mga mamamayan na lang ang bahala kung sa kanilang palagay ay tama ba ang ginagawa ng ilang possible na kakandidato,” Garcia said.