Ian Lee Ananoria assumed the post of acting provincial election supervisor of Negros Occidental Thursday, a day before the start of the filing of certificates of candidacy (COCs) on Friday, October 1.
Ananoria, Antique provincial election officer, took over from Ma. Fatima Aspan who returned to her post as election officer of Victorias City.
He was assigned to Negros Occidental because the COMELEC in the province lacks lawyers, Ananoria said.
Bacolod Elections Officer Kathrina Trinio Caña, who joined Ananoria in a virtual press conference Thursday afternoon, said they expect more reshuffling of election officers before the 2022 polls.
Ananoria and Caña called on candidates to file their COCs early, and avoid waiting until the last minute.
Some candidates delay their filing for COCs because of Feng shui beliefs, Ananoria said. He warned that last-minute filing could mean errors in COCs cannot be corrected in time for the deadline that could lead to their invalidation.
Comelec has set October 1 to 8 for the filing of COCs.
Each candidate will only be allowed two companions when filing COCs to avoid crowding at COMELEC offices amid the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.
The congressional and provincial candidates will be filing their COCs at the Social Hall of the Capitol in Bacolod City.
Cheering squads and parades of candidates with their supporters is being discouraged as a deterrent against the spread of COVID-19, they said.
Candidate filing their COCs will be served on a first-come-first-serve basis, Ananoria also said.
No COVID negative RT-PCR test results will be required of the candidates for the filing of their COCs, he added.*