VICE President Leni Robredo on Thursday urged voters not to fall for the sweet words and promises in the 2019 midterm elections, but instead fall for sweet actions only.
She called on the voting public to consider the track records of those running in the 2019 elections, and not to easily believe glib-tongued candidates.
“We should not be persuaded easily by sweet words. Election period is the time of promises. But what is important is, you have studied who that person is,” she said on the sidelines of the Angat Buhay Youth-Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao summit in Cotabato City.
“What is one's track record? What has one done in the past even before the election [period]?” she asked.
“We should demand more from [our] leaders whom we have elected,” she said.
The Vice President said the voters must not support candidates promising them financial aid and other assistance support.
“Let us get away with patronage politics. Persuading [the voters] through the offer of material things as if we voters owe [our] leaders a lot. That should not be that way. It should be the other way around,” she added.
Meanwhile, a total of 95 certificates of candidacies from aspirants for the 2019 midterm polls, most of whom are “potential nuisance candidates” will be subjected to intense screening by the Commission on Elections.
Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said that they will give these potential nuisance candidates to justify their capability to bid for the 2019 elections.
Jimenez said the screening will at least take a month.
“Magkakaroon ng conference and then they will be asked to submit their Memoranda, these are written position papers…If the issue is complex then it might take a little longer to resolve the question,” Jimenez explained.
He cited the disqualification case against Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimental as among the most complicated as its needs thorough scrutiny before the poll body comes up with a decision on whether or not to elevate the case to the Supreme Court.
Aside from Pimentel’s case, Jimenez said there are 77 disqualification cases already submitted to the Comelec.
These include the two disqualification cases filed against Senator Loren Legarda who is running for a congressional seat in the province of Antique. The petitioners are questioning Legarda’s residency.
Former Senator Mar Roxas, meanwhile, has filed a disqualification case against a certain Lemicio Jesus Roxas.
The former senator and DILG secretary filed the case against Lemicio Roxas because they have the same surname which he said would confuse the voters.
The Comelec is screening all COCs of election aspirants for senator and party-list, and is expected to finish the process in time before it announces the official list of candidates on Dec. 15.
“We are focusing right now on the cleaning up of the list of candidates preparatory to the releasing on Dec. 15. Ongoing ang bidding natin for ballot paper, in preparation for ballot printing in January,” Jimenez said.
The election period starts on January 12 and will end on July 12, 2019.