Comelec lifts tarp size limits
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said Monday it will not pull down election materials paid for by private individuals and displayed in private properties if they are based on advocacy.
Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez, however, said the poll body will continue its “Oplan Baklas” even after it drew flak from critics who claim that the commission is violating Filipinos’ constitutional right to free expression.
He also clarified to the Standard in a text message that advocacy posters can be of any size, but campaign posters are limited to 2×3 portions.
Jimenez clarified that oversized posters inside private properties will still be removed because the poll body has set rules that campaign posters’ sizes should be two feet by three feet.
If people want to file a case against Oplan Baklas, the Comelec welcomes it, he said.
“Based on our interpretation of the law and the Supreme Court jurisprudence, we can regulate the size of campaign materials in private properties, not the posting itself or the volume of materials to be posted,” Jimenez said.
The poll official also said critics of the Oplan Baklas can file charges if they think there was abuse in the Comelec rules, including the taking down of oversized posters in private properties.
Critics have pointed out that the Comelec operation defies the Supreme Court ruling in the case of The Diocese of Bacolod vs. the Comelec, which allowed the diocese to continue displaying large-than-life posters classifying the year 2013 Senate bets as Team Patay (Pro-Reproductive Health bill) and Team Buhay (Anti-Reproductive Health bill).
However, Jimenez said displaying posters depends on the material being used.
“If you are mounting the campaign posters of candidates, that is simple political campaigning that we can regulate as provided by the Supreme Court ruling,” he said.
He said the commission has the right to regulate oversized posters in private premises.
Meanwhile, Jimenez said the printing of official ballots to be used in the May 9 national and local polls is going on smoothly.
“We are on track with the printing of ballots, in fact, we are past the 17 million ballots we have printed, and it is still a bit early to calculate. Our printing is doing well, we are about to reach the peak of the printing capacity. When we reach that point, the printing capacity may exceed 1 million (ballots) a day,” Jimenez said.
A total of 65,721,230 million ballots will be printed for the May polls. The printing is currently ongoing at the National Printing Office in Quezon City.
Also, Jimenez said they have delivered elections materials to different areas in the country in connection with the May 9 polls.
A demonstration activity of the vote-counting machines (VCMs) in localities has also started as part of their voter’s information campaign.
“Our vote counting machine road show demo is also starting. This means that all across the country, our officers bring VCMs to various communities so that the public can see what the machine looks like, how it works, and how they will use it on election day. So that’s going on and we expect more roadshow demos,” he added.
There are more than 97,000 VCMs to be used in the upcoming elections.
An official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) on Monday said the Church remains non-partisan in the May 9 polls but will stand firm in its position on various issues affecting the electorate.
“The CBCP Social Action Network remains non-partisan because that is the mandate we have received from the entirety of the CBCP,” Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo, chair of the CBCP Episcopal Commission on Social Action, Justice and Peace, said in an interview with the Church-owned Radio Veritas.
“We do not endorse candidates but that does not mean that we are neutral on our burning issues such as issues on social justice, human rights, on ecology, we have a bias in what is right and according to the social teachings of the church,” he added.
Bagaforo said the endorsement of Sangguniang Layko ng Pilipinas (SLP) of presidential aspirant Vice President Leni Robredo was the decision of the group of laity and does not reflect the position of the CBCP.
The Kidapawan prelate, however, said he respects the SLP’s endorsement because it is their right as Christians to actively participate in the election.
He said as a legal and independent council, the group is free to choose a candidate to support in the upcoming elections, but this does not mean the Church’s adherence to partisan politics.
Also on Monday, the National Electrification Administration (NEA) warned electric cooperatives (ECs) against endorsing political candidates and pledging votes and urged them to focus on rural electrification.
“Given the nearing presidential elections on May 9, 2022, NEA however, emphasizes that ECs are to deliver the best of their services regardless of political leanings and allegiances of officers, GMs and employees in the exercise of their personal rights enshrined in the Constitution,” the agency said in a statement Tuesday.
It said activities such as endorsing political candidates and engaging in agreements to pledge votes using the EC as platform are prohibited practices.
The National Capital Region Police Office, meanwhile, has arrested more than 400 people in Metro Manila since it started enforcing the election gun ban last month.
NCRPO director P/Maj. Gen. Vicente Danao Jr. said his men from the five district commands have arrested 406 people and confiscated 183 firearms for violating the nationwide election gun ban.
“Within the 42- day implementation of the gun ban since Jan. 9, 2022 to Feb. 19, 2022, the violators were apprehended in 338 conducted police operations,” Danao said.
A total of 150 firearms, 33 improvised weapons, 226 bladed weapons, 13 explosives, and 2,269 ammunitions were confiscated in the region in 8,550 checkpoints.
The Southern Police District recorded the highest number of arrests with 124 followed by the Northern Police District with 95; Manila Police District with 87; Eastern Police District with 51, and Quezon City Police District with 49.
The NCRPO said there was no election-related incidents in Metro Manila since last month.
Meanwhile, Danao reiterated his appeal to the public this campaign season to adhere to health and safety protocols while participating in any activities involving large number of people.
He said campaign activities must be coordinated with the police stations in order to assess whether additional deployment is needed.
Also, the Comelec said voters are no longer required to use face shields in campaign activities and on election day in areas under Alert Level 1 to 3.
The poll body also reminded the public to strictly follow the standard protocols before, during, and after they have participated in the polls on May 9.