After the various interventions employed to make the voter registration run smoother, the Commission on Elections said on Wednesday, April 12 that it eyes to conduct the filing of Certificates of Candidacy (COC) for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) in malls. In a media forum in Manila, Comelec Spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco stated that it's hard for its Manila Field Office to accept almost 40,000 COCs. "Dito sa Manila Field office namin sa Arroceros, napakaliit po anim na opisina po yan District 1 to 6 (Here in our Manila Field Office in Arroceros, it's incredibly small with six offices fro Districts 1 to 6)," he explained. Based on the data provided by the election officer there, the average number of COCs that this office receives is approximately 28,000 just for the barangays alone. According to Laudiangco, they are preparing District 1 in Manila to have the COC filing in Lucky Chinatown Mall for example, or SM Manila, SM San Lazaro or even Robinsons Manila, whichever is nearest to each district. For Manila alone, Laudiangco disclosed that COCs can reach as high as 40,000 both for barangay and the SK. "May kalinawan na kasi napakahirap po tumanggap ng halos 40,000 COCs doon po sa aming Manila field office (There is a clear plan because it will be difficult for our Manila Field Office to receive almost 40,000 COCs)," he said. It can be recalled that the poll body launched the Register Anywhere Project (RAP) which sought to bring voter registration closer to the public and make the process convenient and citizen-centric, as any qualified Filipino residing anywhere in the country had the option and ease of access to register. Under Resolution 10902 promulgated on March 22, the election period will also be in effect with the start of the COC filing until Nov. 29, 2023. The filing of COCs is set from Aug. 28 to Sept. 2.