Lawyer Anna Fleur Gujilde, Mandaue election officer, has noted the prevalent use of online platform among the local candidates and their supporters. | Photo by Delta Dyrecka Letigio
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Local candidates for the May 2019 elections are encouraged to register their online election campaign or their election drive in social media accounts, websites, and blogs at national office of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Manila.
Lawyer Rafael Olaño, Commission on Election in Central Visayas (Comelec-7), told Cebu Daily News Digital, that these local candidates should register their online campaign for the elections before the campaign period for local candidates would start on March 29.
Olano said that no candidate had yet registered their online campaign sites in the region following the mandate from the Comelec national office on January 30.
He said that they would need to monitor the online platform because of its prevalent use in the campaign.
He said that although there are no specified penalties yet for the violation of this Comelec mandate, candidates should comply just as well.
“Titignan natin kung anong penalties ang ipapataw natin sa mga violators ng campaign regulations for online,” said Olaño.
In Mandaue City, Election Officer, Lawyer Anna Fleur Gujilde, said that the use of social media for politics had already been prevalent even before the start of the campaign period especially in the unexpected turn of the political situation in the city.
Gujilde said that supporters of two opposing parties of two mayorlty candidates had begun a ‘social media war’ against each other.
She said that they would closely monitor the movements of all candidates online upon the start of the campaign period to check if they had followed the regulations set by Comelec.
Guijilde said that the registration of the websites and other online campaign media would be directly under the national Comelec.
“We will monitor closely the campaign,” she said.
As of now, Comelec-7 is waiting for the guidelines for the online campaign that are being drafted by the national office. /dbs