Comelec chairperson George Garcia (Screengrab from Laging Handa briefing) MANILA - The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said it has already opened the filing period for the petition for accreditation by political groups. Comelec chairperson George Erwin Garcia said this is to give parties time to answer questions of legalities regarding their petitions. "We made the announcement this early for the filing of a petition for accreditation with the Comelec. Based on our experience, when petitions for accreditation are filed, sometimes it's only a few days before the election, the ballot has already been printed, and there are pending petitions for accreditation. We want them to file earlier and then we will finish early the deadline for filing the petition for accreditation," he said in a Laging Handa briefing on Thursday. He added that the Office of the Clerk of the Commission has already started receiving verified petitions for registration as a political party or a coalit