The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is expected to release the final list of candidates for the May 2022 polls by early next month.
“We have until January 7, 2022 to finalize the list and finish everything so that we won’t be late in printing,” Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said in a virtual press briefing.
Among the pending cases faced by some candidates are disqualification, cancellation of certificates of candidacy, and declaration as nuisance candidates. Jimenez said they expect to start printing the official ballot by January 15.
The Comelec, meanwhile, will use fictitious names of poll bets in the mock elections it will simultaneously hold in several areas in the country including Metro Manila on December 29.
The mock polls will be held in three areas in the National Capital Region (NCR) — Pasay City, Taguig City and the town of Pateros.
It will also be staged in selected areas in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. In Luzon, the areas include Cauayan City and Isabela; and Legazpi City and Albay. In the Visayas, the areas Tacloban City and Leyte; and Dumaguete City and Negros Oriental. In Mindanao the exercise will be held in Cotabato City, Maguindanao, and Davao del Sur.