Commission on Elections (Comelec) spokesman James Jimenez yesterday revealed that the poll body had denied the senatorial bid of more than 70 aspirants in the 2019 midterm elections in May.

While Jimenez did not disclose the identity of the disqualified aspirants, he said a certificate of finality on the decision will be issued if the candidates fail to file an appeal within five days after being notified that their election bids were junked.

The Comelec spokesman, however, noted in a radio interview that they are already nearing the final list of candidates.

Jimenez in an earlier interview had said the official list of candidates would be released by the third week of January. The printing of the ballots, meanwhile, is slated to begin at around 23 to 25 January as the final list should be released before that time.

The roster would indicate that the poll body has ruled on the cases of aspirants whose candidacies were challenged and they “have already been given the opportunity to take advantage of the remedies.”

“Exclusion from the list would mean the candidates’ names would not be printed on the ballot,” Jimenez said.

“It’s important for candidates themselves to be proactive in ensuring that their cases are decided and that they have had the opportunity to avail of the remedies,” he added.

Meanwhile, the number of partylist groups seeking to join the May polls was down from 182 to 154 as of Tuesday. The figure may still slide as Comelec continued to clean up the list.

The Comelec law department earlier had sought to reject the candidacies of 95 senatorial aspirants deemed as “nuisance,” mainly for supposedly lacking funds for a nationwide campaign.

The body’s finance office also sought the perpetual disqualification of former Sen. Sergio Osmeña III for allegedly failing to submit his campaign expense reports for 2010 and 2016.

Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III is also facing petitions seeking his disqualification from reelection.

The senator, they argue, is serving his second and final term, having first assumed the post following a successful election protest in 2011 which left him with only a year and 10 months to serve.