Commission on Elections Chairperson George Garcia (PNA file photo by FGP)
MANILA, Philippines – More than 41,000 candidates for local positions in the May 12 elections are set to start campaigning on Friday.
Data from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) showed there are 41,342 candidates for district representatives, governor, vice governor, provincial board members, mayor, vice mayor, and councilors in the upcoming polls.
The 45-day campaign period for local candidates will be until May 10.
With this, Comelec Chairperson George Garcia on Thursday reminded all the candidates to strictly follow campaign guidelines.
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“To local candidates, always remember to comply with the directives of the Comelec,” he said. “Don’t be stubborn.”
For campaign materials, those considered lawful under Comelec Resolution No. 11086 are pamphlets, leaflets, cards, decals, stickers, or other written or printed materials the size of which does not exceed 8 1/2″ in width and 14″ in length; handwritten or printed letters urging voters to vote for or against any particular party or candidate for public office; posters or standees not exceeding 2 feet by 3 feet; and streamers not exceeding 3 feet by 8 feet in size, displayed at the site, and only on the occasion of a public meeting or rally.
Aspirants are also allowed to use campaign materials in mobile units and vehicles, whether engine or manpower driven or animal drawn, with or without sound systems or loud speakers and with or without lights; paid advertisements in print or broadcast media; outdoor and static or light-emitting diode (LED) billboards owned by private entities or persons; mobile or transit advertisement on public utility vehicles; and signboard displayed in the headquarters.
Campaign period: Materials
On the other hand, those who are looking to be elected for local posts are prohibited from displaying campaign materials on LED display boards located along highways and streets, liquid crystal display (LCD) monitors posted on walls of public buildings, and other similar devices that are owned by local government units, government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs), or any agency or instrumentality of the government; motor vehicles used as patrol cars, ambulances, and for other similar purposes that are owned by local government units, GOCCs, and other agencies and instrumentalities of the government, particularly those bearing government license plates; and public transport vehicles owned and controlled by the government, such as the Metro Rail Transit (MRT), Light Rail Transit (LRT), and Philippine National Railway (PNR) trains and the like.
Also considered illegal are posting campaign materials in waiting sheds, sidewalks, street and lamp posts, electric posts and wires, traffic signages, and other signboards erected on public property, pedestrian overpasses and underpasses, flyovers and underpasses, bridges, main thoroughfares, center islands of roads and highways, schools, public shrines, barangay halls, government offices, health centers, public structures and buildings or any edifice thereof; and within the premises of public transport terminals, owned and controlled by the government, such as bus terminals, airports, seaports, docks, piers, train stations, and the like.
Political advertisements
For political advertisements on television and radio, local bets cannot have more than 60 minutes of television advertisement, on a per station basis, and 90 minutes of radio advertising, on a per station basis, according to Comelec rules.
The maximum size of printed political advertisements for each candidate, whether for a national or local elective positions, meanwhile, is one-fourth page for broadsheets and one-half page for tabloids; and that they cannot be published for more than three times a week per newspaper.
For those engaging in outdoor campaign advertisements, they cannot have more than one month of advertisement in a certain static or LED billboard and within a radius of 500 hundred meters from each other.
Garcia said he had directed local Comelec personnel to put up more common poster areas in their respective areas.
As for the holding campaign rallies, Garcia said candidates and political parties should adhere to policies of local government units, including seeking the necessary permits.
“Also, make sure you won’t be a disturbance in the streets and cause heavy traffic,” he added.
Violators of the guidelines will be subjected to notices to be sent to the concerned candidates, the poll chief said.
“Don’t disregard the notices to remove. That is preparatory to file a case against you,” Garcia added. (PNA)