THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday raised the possibility of withholding the proclamation of candidates who will win in the forthcoming Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) if they are facing disqualification cases.
In a radio interview, Comelec chairman George Garcia said: “We are considering issuing a resolution that will suspend the proclamation of those with pending cases in the event that they win the elections.”
“There are so many cases pending, but we have to ensure there is due process. So, the best remedy we have is to suspend the proclamation of the candidates with pending cases,” Garcia said.
The poll chief admitted the move is the next option available to the Comelec given the voluminous number of disqualification cases lodged before the Commission.
Garcia said the move will likewise allow the Comelec to continue exercising jurisdiction over the concerned candidates in case they win.
“This will ensure that these candidates won’t be able to claim that they have been elected, voted, and given mandate by the people already,” he said.
Under the Omnibus Election Code, upon the completion of the election returns, the chairman of the electoral boards shall orally and publicly announce the total number of votes received in the election in the polling place by each of the candidates.
Subsequently, the candidates who will obtain the highest number of votes shall be proclaimed as elected officials.
As of October 20, the Comelec has already filed 165 petitions for disqualification and issued 7,103 show cause orders against candidates accused of premature campaigning.
Similarly, there are 341 show cause orders issued against those who are allegedly engaged in illegal campaigning.
Meanwhile, a candidate for chairman in Barangay Bucot in Aliaga, Nueva Ecija stopped using his campaign jingle, which Garcia deemed was “gender insensitive.”
In a one-page letter to Aliaga Election Officer Ardel Eugenio, Jose “Pepe” Pacheco apologized over the use of his campaign jingle.
“It is with full regret that the song was written and produced not in accordance to the suggested standard of the Honorable Commission on Elections,” said Pacheco.
“I’m awfully sorry for this behavior. Rest assured that these materials would never be used anymore in any of my campaign activities until the end of the prescribed campaign period,” he added.
Similarly, the barangay aspirant said he has also ordered the removal of the campaign jingle on social media.
“Effective the time it was brought to my attention, the said campaign material was pulled out of the Facebook and other social media to prevent further spread of the content, including the one that was uploaded by the author himself, who created the campaign material,” said Pacheco.
On Sunday, Garcia issued a warning against candidates that use campaign jingles that are not gender sensitive.
He cited as an example the campaign jingle of one candidate in Nueva Ecija, whom he did not identify.
Garcia said those with gender insensitive campaign jingles may face disqualification for violating the Comelec’s campaign guidelines, which prohibit the use of campaign or propaganda materials that violate gender sensitivity principles, or are obscene, discriminatory, or offensive.
In Pasig City, Mayor Vico Sotto said he will not support any group or candidate running in the BSKE would vote for those whom he deem are trustworthy.
“We always want to vote for the more honest candidate over the dishonest one as well as a dependable one over an absentee,” Sotto said during Monday’s flag-raising ceremony.
Sotto added that those who spend too much during the campaign period is a “red flag” for him, pointing out that excess funds should be saved for the use of barangays, especially during emergencies, not during the campaign period. — With Christian Oineza
