THE CAMPAIGN PERIOD FOR local positions officially starts Friday, with a warning from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) that rules will be strictly enforced to ensure fair elections in May.
Lawyer Michael Dioneda, director III of the Comelec National Capital Region (NCR), said those charged with an election offense face imprisonment and the risk of being disqualified from the race.
Among those considered election offenses are vote buying and issues of residency, citizenship, violating the three-term limit rule and the posting of posters and other election paraphernalia outside Comelec designated common poster areas.
“That’s a usual problem during the campaign season. The candidates and their supporters love to place their election materials outside the common poster areas,” Dioneda said.
He added: “I guess it’s like a psychological warfare strategy among them. They think that the more posters they have, the more it would boost their chances of winning.”
Dioneda, however, stressed that the Comelec is bent on ensuring a level playing field for candidates during the campaign period.
Regulations
“We will be strict in enforcing campaign rules, especially regulations regarding the posting of campaign materials,” he said.
The common poster areas identified by the Comelec include barangay halls, public markets, sports complex or basketball courts and public plazas.
Candidates may post campaign advertisements in private buildings or places, only if the owners give their consent, Dioneda said. He added that posters are strictly prohibited in public school buildings and on trees, shrines, electric posts, wires as well as other places outside the common poster areas.
“Any concerned citizen who sees illegally placed posters may file a complaint against the candidate for illegal campaigning,” he said.
Apart from identifying designated areas, Dioneda reminded candidates to make sure that their campaign materials follow the measurements set by the Comelec in Resolution No. 8758, the rules and regulations implementing the Fair Elections Practices Act.
Posters made of cloth, paper or cardboard should not exceed 2 feet by 3 feet in size. Streamers, which Dioneda said should only be used during rallies or other outdoor activities by the candidates, should not go beyond the mandated size of 3 feet by 8 feet.
The Comelec official also warned bets against campaigning during Holy Week.
Provision
“There’s a provision in the Fair Election Act disallowing politicians from campaigning during big events such as Holy Week.”
“But you know how it is with us Filipinos,” he said. “Some candidates join processions and then wave at people. They also visit churches. But in deference to the observation of the Holy Week, they should not engage in outright campaigning.”
“We will regulate all their activities starting today but we also encourage the public to report to us if they see such violations,” he said.
Comelec records show that a total of 132 candidates are running for Congress; 69 for mayor; 64 for vice mayor; and 974 for councilors in Metro Manila, which consists of 16 cities and one municipality.
He noted that the “unusually higher” number of candidates, particularly for councilors this year. “And most of them are young,” Dioneda added. “Maybe we can also attribute this to a renewed interest in the coming automated elections.”
He expressed confidence that the new voting system would be implemented smoothly.
“This time, our confidence level is high because the teachers have been undergoing training already, and our voters’ education drive is doing well,” he said.
Dioneda also assured the public that measures are in place to thwart election-related violence.
“We’re in close coordination with the police and the military. We meet regularly to assess the peace and order situation in the different areas of Metro Manila,” he said. “We try to identify areas where we should focus or where police visibility or checkpoints should be intensified.”
Assessment
According to him, the list of candidates in a particular area helps them in their assessment of the political situation.
“We will concentrate on areas where there are many candidates, or in places where the race is expected to be heated. We expect the situation to be peaceful in areas where there are not a lot of candidates vying for posts, In the NCR, there’s just a lot of political noise but almost no violence, except for sporadic cases,” Dioneda said.
While he called on the voters to be vigilant, he urged the candidates to follow election rules and help in voters’ education.
The campaign period ends on May 8, two days before election day.
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