Who are vying for local seats? Help report COC filing from your province

On May 9, 2022, Filipinos will cast their votes and decide over 18,180 positions in the national government down to the municipal governments.

Of this number, 77 are national positions including president and vice president. The rest are local seats. 

Once elected and sworn into office, they will have powers to wield, standards to uphold, and responsibilities to fulfill, as provided in the 1987 Philippine Constitution, the Administrative Code, and the Local Government Code of 1991.

Go beyond voting

At MovePH, Rappler’s civic engagement unit, we believe that civic participation in the 2022 elections is not only necessary; it is also urgent. Clearly, our involvement in the 2022 Philippine campaigns and elections is going to be our biggest pushback as a people.

This is why we are encouraging Filipinos to go beyond voting and participate in other ways in the months leading to and on election day.

For example, as early as the filing of certificates of candidacy (COCs), Filipinos based in the provinces can help serve as eyes and ears on the ground and keep watch of aspirants for local posts in their communities. After all, knowing who are running for public seats is a critical requirement for an informed and engaged voter.

As of Monday, October 4, with the help of the MovePH community, we have mapped and verified over 200 reports about individuals who filed their COCs in the provinces. 

Most of these entries come from the Cavite, Pangasinan, Misamis Oriental, and Pampanga, as shown in the map below. However, we have no reports as of yet coming from other provinces like Catanduanes, Kalinga, Mabaste, Negros Oriental, and Davao Occidental, among other areas.

Share your report

This is where you come in.

As engaged citizens, you can help report information about individuals filing their COCs in your province. You can do this by scouring the social media pages of reliable sources and the official online pages of the local politicians themselves.

The crowdsourced information can be used by local community organizers and other voters in your area to start their research and help make an informed decision in 2022.

Rappler and its community of lead Movers will verify these reports. Verified reports will also be reflected in the map and in our constantly updated list of aspirants for local positions in the 2022 elections.

Are you up for this #PHVote challenge? Remember that the work for 2022 starts long before we fill up the ballots.

Even now, #WeDecide: Atin ang Pilipinas. – Rappler.com