The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Wednesday announced that the week-long filing of certificates of candidacy (CoC) for the 2025 May elections was “generally peaceful” save for one incident of “CoC snatching” in Negros Oriental.

Comelec chairperson George Garcia said that the lone incident is not a reflection of the situation during the filing period.

"It's been very quiet. This incident is different because compared to our previous filings of candidacy, the Maguindanao Massacre started in 2010 during the period of candidacy filing," said Garcia.

"This event is commendable. This is not just because of the Comelec. It's the help of our citizen's arms, civil society, members of the media throughout the country," he added.

With that, Garcia said he hopes that the upcoming 2025 midterm elections will also be generally peaceful.

At least 43,300 individuals filed their CoCs, significantly lower compared to 2022 with 47,000 filers, and 2019 with 46,000 filers.

The Comelec logged 183 senatorial aspirants during the 8-day CoC filing from 1 to 8 October, while there were 190 party-list groups.