MANILA – The Senate committee on electoral reforms and people’s participation approved a bill seeking to amend the Omnibus Election Code and redefine “candidate” and “premature campaigning.”
According to Committee Report 492, Senate Bill 2064 seeks to amend Section 15 of Republic Act 8436 to consider a person “a candidate at the moment such person files a certificate of candidacy within the period provided by the Commission (on Elections).”
Unlawful acts or omissions applicable to a candidate shall take effect “upon the filing of the certificate of candidacy,” the amendment stated.
Any person holding a public appointive office or position, including active members of the military and officers and employees in government-owned or-controlled corporations, shall be considered ipso facto resigned from office and must vacate the same at the start of the day “such person filed a certificate of candidacy,” it added.
Under the present law, a person is considered a candidate only at the start of the campaign period.
The Comelec had repeatedly said it cannot stop individuals believed to be aspiring for elective office from making themselves more ubiquitous to the public in the absence of a definitive law against premature campaigning.
The committee report will be presented to the plenary for deliberations. (With GMA News/PN)
The comelec should not focus on unimportant issues of premature campaign. The sole reason of campaign period is to limit too thickennings of road wall posters, and traffic caused by rally like road campaign. The real important issues the comelec should tackle is the comelec NO MONEY NO CANDIDACY policy of the comelec. It is a very grave corruption case against comelec, it is not the problem of the comelec if the candidate has no money. It is the job of the candidate how he will do his campaign. If we allow this comelec worst policy of NO MINEY NO CANDIDACY policy then the country will continuously be having a disaster to all the people. It is the ways of the corrupt politicians to use huge money to griddilly grab power just for the sole purpose of launderings, vast land grabbings, and all sorts of illegal miney makings, that caiuse millions of people in squatters and all illegal doings. It should not be allowed to spend more than 5% of all total salaries of the senators to spend for campaign.
The comelec should knkw only as to what are the plans, reasons and knowledge of the candidates, as most reason why an ordinary citizen join the candidacy is to fight the real corrupt politicians and personnels in govt who does face to face corruptions and all illegals infront of the ordinary citizens. The comelec should not use the comelec power to deprive the ordinary citizen for running as senators. As this ordinary citizens are those that will really fight the corruptors in the goverment.
Let us make a big great change. Govt should have someone with guts, knowledge, and honesty, from the ordinary citizen to lead the country to great success.
Capt Benedicto Vasquez
Master Mariner Unlimited
Senatorial Candidate 2019
Ordinary Citizen
From the province of the first Philippine President Gen Emilio Aguinaldo
And from the city of the Philippine National Anthem-
Composer. Prof Julian felipe