THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday said five senatorial candidates in the May 2025 polls are deemed as “consistent” violators of its campaign rules in just the first two days of the campaign period.
In an interview, Comelec chairman George Garcia said they have observed that the candidates and their supporters were found to have put up prohibited campaign materials in different parts of the country.
Garcia refused to identify the candidates.
“There are five senatorial candidates that are very consistent in every region to have (campaign) violations. They are found to have the most campaign violations in terms of the poster size, location of their campaign materials, and for not using environment-friendly materials,” he said.
He said Comelec field personnel will start sending out notices to the erring candidates and ask them to take down their illegal campaign materials.
“In three days, they have to remove these campaign materials. They don’t have to answer the notices, just remove these prohibited campaign materials,” Garcia said.
If they do not remove the campaign propaganda, he said election field personnel will be compelled to recommend the filing of election offense and disqualification cases against them.
“In such instances, we will be issuing show cause orders,” he also said.
The official campaign period for senatorial candidates and party-list organizations officially started last Tuesday. Meanwhile, local candidate will start campaigning on March 28.
The last day for campaigning for all candidates in the May 2025 polls is on May 10, 2025.
The PNP said the first day of the campaign period for national candidates last Tuesday was “generally peaceful.”
“The Philippine National Police reports that the first day of the campaign period for national-level candidates on February 11, 2025, was generally peaceful across the country,” the PNP said in a statement.
“Based on the consolidated reports from the PNP National Election Monitoring Action Center, there were no major incidents recorded throughout the day,” it added.
It reiterated its appeal to all candidates, their supporters, and the public to uphold peace, order, and the rule of law as the campaign season progresses.
“We remain steadfast in our commitment to securing a safe, orderly, and credible electoral process leading up to election day,” the PNP said, as it likewise called on the public to report to authorities any election-related concerns in their areas so these can be addressed.
“The PNP assures the Filipino people of our impartiality, professionalism, and dedication in fulfilling our mandate to safeguard democracy and protect every citizen during this crucial period,” it said.
Likewise, the PNP assured the public that policemen throughout the country will remain vigilant to ensure the campaign period will remain peaceful and orderly.
“PNP personnel nationwide remain vigilant and fully deployed to ensure public safety and security during campaign activities,” it said.
It also vowed to continue the strict implementation of election gun ban and other security measures for the elections.
The PNP said 846 persons have been arrested throughout the country for violation of the election gun ban, which is being implemented during the election period that runs from January 12 to June 11.
The PNP said 251 of the violators were arrested in the National Capital Region, topping all regions.
It added that 841 assorted firearms were seized during the same period, including 330 revolvers and 253 pistols. – With Victor Reyes
