COC filing is over, campaign period to start next month

Comelec Cebu City | CDN File photo by Niña Mae Oliverio

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The filing of the certificates of candidacy (COC) for the 2023 Barangay ang Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Elections officially ended on Saturday, September 2, 2023.

With this, the Commission of Elections (Comelec) is reminding candidates that the campaign period is between October 19 and October 28. The Barangay and SK elections is slated October 30.

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According to the calendar of activities released by the Commission on Elections (Comelec), campaigning is prohibited between September 3 and October 18.

Premature campaigning prohibited

Lawyer Ferdinand Gujilde, south district election officer in Cebu City, said candidates caught campaigning before the campaign period could be disqualified.

“Pwede sila mapa-disqualify ug pwede sila file-lan og election offense nga premature campaign. Kanang election offense that’s a criminal offense. Ang silot ana [is] one to six years imprisonment without the benefit of probation,” Gujilde said.

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(They can be disqualified and could be charged for an election offense of premature campaigning. That election offense is a criminal offense. The punishment for that is one to six years imprisonment without the benefit of probation.)

Section 80 of the Omnibus Election Code of the Philippines states that “It shall be unlawful for any person, whether or not a voter or candidate, or for any party, or association of persons, to engage in an election campaign or partisan political activity except during the campaign period.”

The holding of barangay assemblies and candidates’ fora are among the activities that are expected during the campaign period.

Prohibited acts during campaign period

Under the Comelec Resolution 10905, these are the following prohibitions during the campaign period:

• Removing, destroying, obliterating, defacing, tampering or preventing distribution of lawful election propaganda
• Posting, displaying, distributing and using illegal campaign materials
• Making any donation or gift in cash or in kind which is also prohibited on the day or before the election and on election day
• Appointing or using special policemen, special or confidential agents or the like
• Using armored land water or air craft
• Policemen and provincial guards acting as bodyguards of public officials or candidates
• Release, disbursement or expenditures of public funds

Filing for requests or petitions for transfer etc…

Meanwhile, September 15, will be the last day of filing for requests or petitions for transfer, change, correction of name, address of voting centers, or polling places.

/bmjo