• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Commission on Elections is investigating allegations on an attempt to snatch copies of the Certificate of Candidacy of a mayoral candidate on Tuesday, the last day of COC filing, in Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental.
Engr. Vicente Genova, 55, reported to the Himamaylan City police that one of two unidentified persons followed him into the Comelec office and grabbed copies of his COC, which led to a commotion.
Genova described one of the suspects as wearing a black ball cap, denim pants, and a sweatshirt, with a belt bag; while the other one also wore a black ball cap, denim pants, black shirt, and a sling bag.
The two suspects immediately fled, although the incident was captured on video, by a witness using a mobile phone.
Provincial Election Supervisor Atty. Ian Lee Ananoria disclosed last night that the Himamaylan City Election Officer already made a report of the incident.
Despite the incident, Genova managed to file his COC.
Ananoria said two mayoral candidates in Himamaylan City filed their COCs yesterday.
Genova, a former City Engineer of Himamaylan City, will challenge incumbent Mayor Raymund Tongson in the May 2025 mayoral race.
Tongson, who also filed his COC on the same day, is seeking his third term as mayor of Himamaylan City.
On the other hand, Ananoria said the eight days of COC filing in Negros Occidental was peaceful and successful.
He thanked the media for witnessing the COC filing, stressing that “transparency made this exercise credible.”
Ananoria reported that 41 candidates filed their COC in the provincial level, while they are still consolidating data from the different towns and cities of Negros Occidental.
He also urged candidates to register their social media accounts to the Comelec for authentication purposes.*
