ILOILO City – Be watchful and report illegal campaign materials or posters, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) urged the public.
Campaigning for the upcoming Oct. 30 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections is prohibited after the filing of certificates of candidacy (COCs), or from Sept. 3 to Oct. 18, according to Atty. Reinier Layson, Comelec-Iloilo provincial election supervisor and concurrent Iloilo City election officer.
The official campaign period is from Oct. 19 to Oct. 28.
Prematurely displaying streamers, posters, or any form of campaign material is an election offense.
“May premature campaigning kita, bawal ang pag-post sang campaign materials. So, kon may reklamo kita or may makita kamo nga illegal campaign materials posted around your barangay or communities, I’d like to ask you kon puede i-report sa aton election officers para ma-aksyonan,” appealed Layson.
Only during the campaign period is the display of posters and campaign materials in designated areas allowed.
Section 240 of Comelec Resolution No. 10924 prohibits the printing, publishing, posting, and distributing of campaign material that does not bear the name of the payor or candidate who will benefit from the election propaganda printed or aired.
Posting, displaying, or exhibiting any election material outside of authorized common poster areas, in public places, or on private properties without the owner’s consent is likewise prohibited.
To ensure that all campaign guidelines are followed, Layson is set to issue a directive to all city and municipal election officers to create a taskforce on or before the start of the campaign period.
“We have to create Task Force Operation Baklas sa pagsugod na sang election campaign,” said Layson.
The taskforce will have the city or municipal election officer as its chairperson. Its members will include but are not exclusive to representatives from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
“Ang conduct sang elections aside sa pagbantay sa illegal activities is really a tall and daunting task. That is why in all honesty I’m saying kinahanglan gid naton sang bulig sang tanan,” said Layson.
Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. urged local government units (LGUs) to assist the Comelec in its crackdown against campaign materials that violate election laws.
In DILG Memorandum Circular 2023-105 dated July 28, 2023, Abalos said the DILG, LGUs, and other government agencies are deputized by Comelec through its Resolution No. 10924 to aid the poll body in removing and tearing down unlawful election propaganda materials.
Section 252 of Comelec Resolution No. 10924 mandates that any prohibited form of election propaganda shall be stopped, confiscated, removed, destroyed, or torn down by Comelec representatives at the expense of the candidate for whose apparent benefit the prohibited election propaganda materials have been produced, displayed, and disseminated.
In the same DILG directive, Abalos also enjoined LGUs to provide Comelec with the necessary equipment for the removal of unlawful election materials; designate LGU personnel who will assist Comelec in the campaign; issue executive orders for the designation of LGU personnel/barangay tanod and provide them with the necessary assistance to perform their role; and direct the designated personnel to coordinate with the election officer before tearing down unlawful election materials.
“Further, all concerned are encouraged to immediately report to Comelec any prohibited form of election propaganda for confiscation, removal, destruction, and/or prevention of the distribution of any illegal or unlawful propaganda materials,” the MC 2023-105 stated.
In the city and province of Iloilo, there were 65,323 candidates for the barangay and SK elections.
Of the 1,901 barangays in the city and province, 4,294 are running for punong barangays; 33,636 for barangay kagawad; 4,514 for SK chairperson; and 22,879 for SK kagawad.
Here is the breakdown of candidates per cities and municipalities: Iloilo City (6,760), Ajuy ( 1,396), Alimodian (1,548), Anilao (721), Badiangan (900), Balasan (866), Banate (819), Barotac Nuevo (1,327), Barorac Viejo (1,139), Batad (871), Bingawan (476), Cabatuan (476), Calinog (1,974), Calinog (2,015), Carles (1,414), Concepcion (1,182), Dingle (1,366), Dueñas (1,472), Dumangas (1,835), Estancia (1,083), Guimbal (891), Igbaras (1,184), Janiuay (1,747), Lambunao (2,369), Leganes (694), Lemery (1,217), Leon (2,097), Maasin (1,646), Miag-ao (3,320), Mina (740), New Lucena (687), Oton (1,533), Passi City (1,847), Pavia (761), Pototan (2,014), San Dionisio (1,283), San Enrique (1,092), San Joaquin (2,162), San Miguel (838), San Rafael (437), Santa Barbara (1,876), Sara (1,878), Tigbauan (1,873), Tubungan (1,088), and Zarraga (893)./PN
