Local election campaign begins

Source: Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines - The 45-day campaign period for the local polls begins today with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) calling on candidates to observe election laws and regulations or face disqualification.

A total of 49,996 candidates are vying for 17,874 local seats broken down into 222 for congressman, 80 each for governor and vice governor, 762 for provincial board member, 120 each for city mayor and vice mayor, 1,514 each for municipal mayor and vice mayor, 1,346 for city councilor and 12,116 for municipal councilor.

Comelec Commissioner Rene Sarmiento said local bets should observe the restrictions on campaigning to avoid disqualification or getting sued.

“There are things that they must not do. I hope that they are clear on that. First and foremost is the size of their campaign propaganda materials. I hope they will observe that,” he said in an interview.

Under Comelec Resolution No. 5758 implementing Republic Act 9006 or the Fair Elections Act, billboards should measure no more than five by eight feet while posters should not exceed three by five feet.

Sarmiento said campaign materials should be placed in “common poster areas” designated by election officers in the field.

A local bet is required to spend only P5 per voter while a political party can spend P10 per voter.

There are some 50.7 million registered votes for the May 10 polls.

“We know that prior to March 26, they were free to do their thing because there was no premature campaigning. But now that the campaign period has started, we hope that they will strictly observe (their limits),” he said.

Sarmiento said the Comelec is closely coordinating with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP). The Comelec has also implemented a gun ban to help minimize election-related violence.

On alert

With the official start of the campaign season, PNP chief Director General Jesus Verzosa put the entire police force on full alert beginning midnight.

“Our campaign on the gun ban and private armed groups is a success, so we must push ourselves to do more to ensure that the May elections would not only push through but also be peaceful and orderly,” Verzosa said in a directive.

Under a full alert status, all leaves and rest and recreation of policemen are cancelled. They are ordered to report daily to their respective units and be ready for rapid deployment.

Verzosa reminded his men that most election-related violence in the 2004 and 2007 elections broke out at the start of the campaign period.

Records from the PNP Directorate for Intelligence show that 571 cities and municipalities or 34.94 percent of the total nationwide are in the election watchlist areas list.

Metro police chief Director Roberto Rosales, for his part, has ordered greater police presence particularly in the metropolis’ nine cities.

“I’m urging the public to report any sightings of violations of the rules and regulations of the (Comelec) regarding the electoral processes so we could prevent possible violent confrontation among candidates and their supporters,” Rosales said.

Successful simulation

Meanwhile, the Comelec and the congressional committee on poll automation announced a successful simulation of automated elections yesterday.

“Our confidence is going up and soaring… all our physical needs for the elections are here,” Comelec Chairman Jose Melo said.

The simulated elections involved the setting up of two polling precincts, complete with PCOS machines, Board of Election Inspectors and Comelec representatives. Some 200 “voters” picked from among fictitious candidates.

“The objective of the mock polls is to simulate what happens on election day to see where we can improve on our procedures, allow our voters to test the system, and allow our legislators to observe the system that they want to guard from fraud. We also want to show the public how transparent the procedures are,” Jimenez said.

“We were very happy (although) some of our poll watchers were a bit nervous,” Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting chairperson Henrietta de Villa said. With Christina Mendez and Non Alquitran