Election materials deployed

- Advertisement -

THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) has started deploying poll paraphernalia that will be used in the May 9 exercise to local hubs.

“We have commenced the deployment of various election-related equipment, peripherals, forms, and supplies to be used for the 9 May 2022 national and local elections,” the poll body said.

First deployed were the external batteries of vote counting machines (VCM), which will run until March 31, and ballot boxes, which will be done until April 10.

- Advertisement -

To be deployed to the provincial and city treasurers are the non-accountable forms and supplies starting February 16.

Next will be the dispatch of the VCMS, consolidation and canvassing system (CCS) machines, and transmission equipment from April 2 to 19.

The official ballots and indelible ink will be deployed to the city and municipal treasurers from April 20 to May 5.

Some political candidates want the poll body to allow selfies during campaign sorties, a Department of Interior and Local Government official.

“What I know is that some political parties have filed petitions before the Commission on Elections (to allow selfies),” DILG undersecretary and spokesman Jonathan Malaya said in a television interview.

Last November, the Comelec issued a resolution that prohibited selfies, handshaking, hugging and kissing.

Malaya did not name the political parties that filed the petitions.

400 YOUTUBE CHANNELS

Close to 400 YouTube channels of official candidates in the May 9 elections have been verified, according to Comelec spokesman James Jimenez.

“Verification of accounts is a step towards ensuring the availability of trusted and credible sources of information for the public, and is a vital part of the fight against disinformation,” Jimenez said.

“We have worked with YouTube to verify these channels, regardless of the number of subscribers, and we will continue to work in close coordination as we strive to push out information that will be helpful to the voters through these reliable channels,” said Jimenez.

Under Comelec Resolution Nos. 10730 and 10748, all websites and other social media platforms used for the endorsement or candidacy of all registered political parties/coalitions and bona fide candidates must be registered with the poll body.

Meanwhile, Senate President Vicente Sotto III said he will still act as a member of the National Board of Canvassers even if he is running for vice president.

Sotto assured he will be impartial during the canvassing of votes for the presidential and vice-presidential race. He said if there are doubts, there are always ways to resolve it.

“If I am in contention all I have to do is either inhibit or we can elect a new Senate President. We will talk about it. That’s an easy problem, I don’t see any problem. If I inhibit, which is obviously incumbent upon myself, then the Senate president pro tempore, Sen. Ralph Recto, takes over,” Sotto said in a press conference in their campaign headquarters in Greenhills, San Juan.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson said it is best if Sotto does not inhibit since doing so would mean abandoning a constitutional duty.

“Why do you need to inhibit when it is a constitutional duty? You cannot overturn the results of the election especially now that it is automated. Being a member of the canvassing board is almost ministerial. Isn’t it that former US Vice President Mike Pence told former US President Donald Trump when he turned him down that ‘I cannot overturn the result of the elections.’ So it’s the same,” Lacson said.

- Advertisement -spot_img

After the May 9 elections, Congress will convene to act as the National Board of Canvassers, which will be tasked to proclaim the country’s new president and vice president. The Senate is tasked to form a committee composed on nine senators to make up the Senate panel.

Poll watchdog Kontra Daya is calling on the public to report campaign violations and other poll offenses.

“The people should closely monitor any abuse and misuse of government resources, harassment and intimidation, disinformation, disenfranchisement, vote-buying, and red-tagging,” Kontra Daya said in a statement.

The group asked the public to take pictures and video footage of anything “out of the ordinary” and send them to Kontra Daya, along with the date, time, and place or where the picture or video was taken, as well as a short explanation of what happened.

It said the information may be sent via their website (kontradaya.org), Facebook page (kontra.daya), Twitter account (@kontradaya), and email address (kontradaya@gmail.com). — With Raymond Africa and Victor Reyes

Author

- Advertisement -

Share post: