COMELEC PUSHES BACK FILING OF COC

In this photo taken on July 2, 2017, policemen set up mobile checkpoints on several Cebu City streets as part of the measures to secure foreign delegates attending an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) meeting in the city. Police say similar random checkpoints will be put in place on key city streets during the election period for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan polls.
CDN FILE PHOTO

SK, BARANGAY ELECTIONS

Just as local elections officials have gotten ready to accept the certificates of candidacy (COC) of barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections hopefuls, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has decided to move to a later date the filing of candidacy papers and the election period for the twin polls set this October.

Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez, in a statement Tuesday, said the Comelec en banc made the decision “in order to give the public more time to prepare for participation should the elections not be postponed.”

The Comelec approved the changes to the calendar of activities in its en banc session on Tuesday.

It may be recalled that the Comelec is still waiting for the signing of a law by President Rodrigo Duterte, who wants to postpone the barangay and SK elections to 2018.

In a resolution, the Comelec decided to move the election period for the barangay and youth polls to October 1 to October 30, from its original September 23 to October 30 date.

The date of the holding of the SK and barangay polls, set on October 23, 2017, has remained unchanged.

The filing of COCs, on the other hand, was pushed back to October 5 until October 11, from its original September 23–30 filing period.

Jimenez added that the campaign period has also been changed to begin on October 12 to 22, from its original October 13 to 21 date.

“The effectivity of various election prohibitions, particularly the gun ban, will likewise be moved,” the Comelec spokesperson said.

This means that the election gun ban will begin on October 1, the new start of the election period, and not on its original September 23 date.

However, the poll body will still begin accepting applications for exemption from the election gun ban on September 21 as previously scheduled. Senior Supt. Joel Doria, Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) director, said they have been preparing to implement the gun ban starting this coming Saturday, but with the new schedules set by the Comelec, they would now wait for additional directives from Camp Crame with regard to the implementation of the election gun ban.

Printed COCs

Just hours before the Comelec announced it was moving back the filing of COCs, the Cebu City North District election office had already printed around 3,000 copies of the COC.

Lawyer Marchel Sarno, the district’s election officer, told Cebu Daily News earlier yesterday that they readied the COC forms because they had to abide by the Comelec calendar of activities in the absence of a directive to postpone the barangay and SK elections.

In fact, Sarno said there were already several would-be candidates who inquired from his office when and where they could get the copies of COC.

According to Sarno, each candidate will be required to submit three copies of their COC to the election officer who has jurisdiction over the barangay where the candidate intends to run for a position in the barangay or for SK.

Under the guidelines, Sarno said that no person shall be eligible to run for more than one position or office to be filled in the same election.

The candidate who files a COC for more than one office will not be eligible for any of the position. However, the aspirant may personally, or through an authorized representative, file the COC at the office of the election officer concerned, issue a sworn statement of cancellation to maintain the desired office, and cancel the COC for the other position.

A candidate for barangay chairman or for barangay councilors who is 18 years old but not more than 24 years old may opt to run for SK posts, but he or she must not be related within second civil degree of consanguinity or affinity to any incumbent elected national, regional, provincial, city, municipal or barangay official in the locality where aspirant seeks to be elected.

Gun ban

As to the implementation of the election gun ban, Doria said the public should expect random checkpoints once the gun ban has started.

“We can implement gun ban anytime. We are just waiting for the order. Expect more Oplan Sita specially for motorcycles,” Doria said.

There will be no fixed hours for the checkpoints as they will be conducted at any given time of the day, he said.

Doria enjoined commuters to cooperate with the police when they come across a checkpoint since this is meant to keep the public safe.

He said policemen manning the checkpoints will be required to wear their complete uniform to clearly identify them as members of the Philippine National Police.

The Comelec has banned “the bearing, carrying or transporting of firearms and other deadly weapons” during the election period.

In Lapu-Lapu City, the city’s top police officers met with Comelec officials yesterday to set in motion their preparations for the barangay and SK polls.

Lapu-Lapu City Police Office (LLCPO) director Senior Supt. Rommel Cabagnot said they discussed the roles of police authorities during the implementation of the Comelec gun ban and checkpoints if the elections would push through this October.

He said they also discussed probable problem areas, such as Barangays Punta Engaño, Agus, Marigondon, Basak and Pangan-an Island because of election-related incidents in these areas during the previous barangay and SK polls.

Cabagnot added that as has been done in previous elections, police officers and personnel with relatives running for seats in the barangay and SK elections will be transferred. /With reports from CORRESPONDENTS NORMAN V. MENDOZA AND BENJIE B. TALISIC