Malacanang on Thursday called on local candidates to maintain peaceful and orderly campaigns moving forward to the May 12 midterm elections.
Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer lawyer Claire Castro made the call ahead of the March 28 start of the campaign period for local candidates.
In a press briefing, Castro said the Palace expects credible 2025 polls, considering the decline in the number of areas considered potential hot spots.
“That is what the administration wants. Let’s cooperate with all agencies so that we can have credible elections in May 2025,” Castro said.
“All we want is for them to be calm in their campaigning, to be orderly, to be truthful in what they say. I hope they don’t make any statements that will create more chaos,” she added.
The number of areas under the red category or with serious threat of election-related violence has decreased from 38 to 36, according to the latest data from the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
These areas included 30 in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), two in the Negros Island Region, and one each in Northern Mindanao, Eastern Visayas, Bicol Region, and Cagayan Valley.