CANDIDATES for more than 18,000 local posts officially start wooing voters today, Friday, with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) renewing its call for bets to observe existing campaign guidelines and health protocols.
In a press conference, Comelec Commissioner George Garcia said they hope the start of the campaign period for local candidates will not result to a resurgence of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases.
“We are already in a good situation, at Alert Level 1 and possibly Alert Level 0. This, however, shouldn’t mean that we should hold activities that can be super spreader events,” said Garcia. “Once there is a super spreader event, the blame will be on you.”
The same call was issued by Interior Secretary Eduardo Año, who told candidates: “Our reminder to them is to observe the minimum health standards. Do not remove your face mask and if possible, even if you are in an area allowed maximum capacity, please maintain safe distancing.”
Malacañang also reminded the public to strictly comply with minimum health standards while Philip-pine Medical Association president Dr. Benito Atienza urged candidates to encourage their supporters to be vaccinated first before they join any mass gatherings.
Communications Secretary and acting presidential spokesman Martin Andanar said the administration is confident that Filipinos would follow health protocols, adding the government will continue its vac-cination drive amid the local campaign.
Garcia said this is the least that candidates should do after the Comelec opted to ease its guidelines on in-person campaigning. Under the amended guidelines, campaign activities may have 100 percent ca-pacity in Alert Level 1 areas and 70 percent capacity in Alert Level 2 areas.
However, the poll body retained the ban on kissing, hugging, selfies, arm-to-arm acts, and other physi-cal close contact.
The campaign period for local candidates is set to run until May 7. Campaign activities are prohibited on April 14, 2022 (Thursday) and April 15, 2022 (Good Friday). The campaign for national candidates start-ed last February 8.
Garcia also asked local bets and their campaign teams to respect the private properties of the public, meaning campaign teams should avoid putting propaganda materials in private properties without the approval of the property owners.
He also reminded campaign teams to refrain from putting unlawful materials in public places.
“For public places, automatically, they will be taken down even without notices. We will remove all paraphernalia there,” he said. “Don’t waste your posters in public places. They will just be taken down.”
While campaign activities are expected to heat up in most parts of the country, the Comelec said over 800 bets for the May polls are unopposed. Data from the Comelec showed that of the 18,023 local posts up for grabs, 845 are unopposed.
Among congressional seats, 39 of the 253 are running unopposed.
At the provincial level, there are 9 unopposed out of 81 gubernatorial posts, 11 of 81 vice gubernatorial posts, and 45 of 782 provincial board members.
At the city/municipal level, unopposed are 203 of 1,634 mayoral posts, 254 of 1,634 vice mayoral posts, and 284 of 13,558 councilors.
Año, a key member of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Dis-eases, said it’s still important to observe health protocols to prevent a surge of COVID-19 cases.
He said the PNP and other agencies will monitor whether candidates are complying with health proto-cols.
“We are going to monitor their compliance to the minimum public health standards. Our law enforcers are ready for that, the Comelec, PNP and the AFP,” the DILG chief said.
Año also asked policemen assigned in the different local government units (LGUs) and barangay offi-cials to remain non-partisan in the local and national elections.
Año said there are at least 40 to 50 areas classified as hot spots and potential hot spots in connection with local elections.
Año said these areas are the focus of the PNP and the Armed Forces in terms of deployment of addi-tional personnel to maintain peace.
“Most of these are traditional (hot spot) areas. Some are in Bicol, Northern Luzon and BARRM (Bang-samoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao) areas,” Año said.
“At the same time, we also have to watch the candidates who are potentially maintaining private armed groups. I have also ordered the recall of (police) bodyguards in these areas, except those per-mitted or allowed officially by the Comelec, both opposing candidates,” said Año. — With Jocelyn Montemayor and Victor Reyes
