ELECTIONS chairman George Garcia yesterday issued a stern warning to local government officials against interfering with the Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) war against premature campaigning ahead of the October 30 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE).
Garcia, in an interview, said: “We are appealing to local officials: Do not interfere with the work of our local Comelec, especially with regards to premature campaigning.”
“Don’t ever test the resolve of this Commission to implement and enforce election laws. We will not hesitate to file charges even against these interfering local officials,” he added.
Garcia issued the warning after getting reports that some local officials have meddled in the Comelec’s campaign to stop BSKE candidates from engaging in premature electioneering.
“We received numerous reports that our people are being prevented from removing early campaign materials and even in issuing the show cause orders,” Garcia said.
He said the interference are unacceptable especially since the Comelec is trying to revive the prohibition on premature campaigning activities.
“In the same manner that we are taking seriously the filing of cases and show cause orders against those violating our premature campaigning prohibition, we will give similar attention to those interfering with our local Comelec,” said Garcia.
On the other hand, he assured local poll personnel that the Commission is prepared to defend them against interfering local officials.
“To our local personnel, do not worry. We won’t leave you in this fight. We are in this together. Just focus on implementing the guidelines we issued,” said Garcia.
As of September 18, the Comelec has already issued 896 show cause orders to BSKE candidates who have allegedly engaged in premature campaigning.
To note, electioneering activities are prohibited until October 18 as the BSKE campaign period will start only on October 19.
Meanwhile, in a press briefing on late Monday, Comelec – Committee on Kontra-Bigay (CKB) head Commissioner Ernesto Maceda Jr reported that they have already processed 17 vote buying raps, as of September 15.
“As of last week, there are 17 cases filed regarding vote buying and vote selling. These are only the complaints filed with the Law Department. It does not include yet those lodged at the regional, provincial, city, or municipal offices,” Maceda said.
Maceda said the 16 charges were filed by email, and one by postal mail.
Of the charges filed, five are in the National Capital Region (NCR), particularly in the cities of Taguig, Quezon, Manila, Marikina, and Pasig.
There are also vote buying charges filed from Cavite, Bulacan, and South Cotabato.
Maceda said the Law Department is now evaluating the complaints.
The Comelec earlier this month launched the CKB to highlight its renewed campaign against vote buying and vote selling.
Vote buying and selling are considered election offenses, which carry the penalties of one to six years imprisonment, disqualification to hold public office, and removal of the right of suffrage.
In a related development, the Armed Forces on Tuesday said security measures are in place for the conduct of the October 30 barangay and youth polls in Negros Oriental where Gov. Roel Degamo and nine others were slain during a brazen attack in March last year.
“We have a contingency for this situation. We have been planning and making necessary coordination since March of this year,” said Lt. Gen. Benedict Arevalo, commander of the AFP Visayas Command (Viscom) after the Comelec announced that it was not deferring the conduct of the BSKE in the province amid the push of Sen. Francis Tolentino to postpone the polls on the heels of the March 2022 killings.
The Comelec instead placed Negros Oriental under its control “to assure the public that there is nothing to fear on election day.”
“We are prepared and have enough personnel to support the Comelec and the PNP in ensuring the peaceful and safe conduct of the Barangay and SK Elections in Negros Oriental,” said Arevalo.
Arevalo said Viscom will coordinate with the PNP “to ensure that our contingency is synchronized with their deployment and security plan.”
“Likewise, coordination will be made with the Comelec as to the guidelines on how they will go about placing the entire province under their control,” he said.
Arevalo said they have been relentless in implementing security measures in Negros Oriental since the killing of Degamo and nine other civilians. The attack was allegedly masterminded by now-expelled Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr.
“Checkpoints and mobility patrols in the urban areas as well as security patrols in the rural areas are being conducted even to this date. The government remains in control of the province’s peace and order situation, which has become stable following the arrest of the primary suspects of the incident,” said Arevalo.
“Rest assured that our security efforts will never waver. Viscom, being your reliable Armed Forces in the Visayas, will remain highly committed to our mandate on ensuring the safety and security of our people In Negros Oriental, as they exercise their rights this coming election,” he added.
At the same time, the Comelec yesterday made a 180-degree turn in terms of fully automating the 2025 BSKE, with Garcia saying that it is already unlikely to automate the next barangay and youth polls.
“At this point, I will honestly tell you, the automation of BSKE may not happen by 2025,” said Garcia during his speech at the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) General Membership Meeting in Makati City.
“We will have to automate the national and local elections of May (2025), and, at the same time, we will have to conduct the election of the BSKE (2025) by the manual system of election,” he said.
Just last March, Garcia said there is “no turning back” for the full automation of the 2025 BSKE.
The Comelec is slated to pilot test the automated election system (AES) in two barangays (Bgys. Zone II Poblacion and Paliparan III) in Dasmariñas City, Cavite, and in one barangay (Bgy. Pasong Tamo) in the 6th District of Quezon City during the October 30 BSKE.
Asked what prompted the change in the direction, Garcia cited the movement in the election date of the next BSKE, from 2026 to 2025.
“We would like to, as much as possible, automate the barangay and SK elections of supposedly 2026 elections. But since it is set in 2025, that’s just five months of preparation for the Comelec coming from the May 2025 elections,” he explained.
“If we automate it, we should have the filing of Certificates of Candidacy early, around May 2025. That means it will coincide with the national and local elections,” he added.
Garcia also cited the potential lack of budget appropriation to prepare for an automated barangay and youth polls in 2025.
“When we submitted the budget proposal for the 2024 preparatory national and local elections, the budget for the preparatory barangay and SK automated elections wasn’t included,” he said, adding that “for the preparations of an automated BSKE, we will be needing about P18 to P19 billion.” — With Victor Reyes
