Over 200 applicants for 2 Comelec commissioner posts – Garcia

MANILA, Philippines — More than 200 individuals have applied for the two posts vacated by recently retired Commission on Elections commissioners, Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia said on Tuesday.
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. has yet to pick the successors of commissioners Socorro Inting and Marlon Casquejo who officially retired on February 2, 2025
“More than two hundred names have applied for the position,” Garcia said in Filipino on the sidelines of poll worker training session in Manila.
Garcia said that among the applicants are Comelec regional directors who “silently” applied for the post by sending their applications to Malacañang.
Garcia said “more than twenty” applicants also sought his endorsement, while the Palace is also seeking his opinion on the applicants.
Article continues after this advertisementGarcia previously expressed hopes that Marcos would pick a woman and career official, echoing the calls of the Comelec employees’ union.
Article continues after this advertisementBy 2027, the Comelec en banc will entirely consist of Marcos appointees, but Garcia noted that previous presidents in recent memory have also appointed the majority of its members during their term in line with the 1987 Constitution.
In 2022, Marcos appointed Garcia as chairman and Nelson Celis and Ernesto Maceda Jr. as commissioners.
The other commissioners are Aimee Ferolino and Rey Bulay will retire on Feb. 2, 2027.