46,003 candidates sign up for local, Congress posts in May

There are 46,003 candidates for the May 14 elections, or fewer than the 68,000 bets in the 2004 polls, election commissioner Resurreccion Borra said Monday. Borra said there are 690 candidates for 220 district seats in the House of Representatives. Also, there are 242 candidates for governor in the 81 provinces; 360 bets for 118 city mayoral posts; and, 3,845 for candidates for 1,510 municipal mayoral posts. The Commission on Elections, in its Web site www.bagongbotante.com, said the 45 million Filipino voters will elect over 17,700 public officials. Thirty-seven candidates are running for the 12 Senate seats. In addition, voters will have to elect 212 district congressmen, up to 53 pary-list representatives, 81 governors, 118 city mayors, 1,510 municipal mayors, 758 provincial board members, 1,276 city councilors, and 12,016 municipal councilors. About 500,000 Filipinos working abroad have also signed up for overseas absentee voting. Borra attributed the lower number of candidates to the fact that there will be no elections for President and Vice-President. He also noted that there are areas where there are unopposed candidates. “Not too many candidates this time. But there are significant points that I have to stress, in…Maguindanao, out of municipalities in the province, 19 (candidates) do not have (an) opponent for mayor. Only one candidate, that's very significant," Borra told reporters. The Comelec commissioner said the relatively fewer candidates could mean more peaceful elections. “This development to me forebodes well for a little more peaceful elections because in some areas where there is only one candidate…if there is no opponent, there is nobody to fight, and if there is no fight, no trouble," Borra said. Asked how the Comelec would resolve the issue of unopposed candidates in some areas, Borra said the commission en banc may adopt a resolution that would provide for a “plurality" vote. “Considering that our system is a popular vote, not necessarily majority one over 50 percent,...whoever gets the highest number of votes will be the one proclaimed," he said. “So, for instance, in the locality where there is only one candidate for mayor… probably we could adopt a rule adopting the provisions of the law filling up a vacancy in Congress that some votes will be counted in one precinct. Probably three votes will be enough," Borra added. - GMANews.TV