The Commission on Elections (Comelec) en banc on Wednesday has agreed to suspend the proclamation of Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) candidates who will win in the upcoming elections but with unresolved disqualification cases. “Kapag may merits ang kaso, may ebidensya laban sa isang kandidato at kung hindi pa nare-resolve ang kaso bago mag-eleksyon (If the case has merits, has evidence against a candidate, and it is yet unresolved before the elections), we are willing to suspend any proclamation of any candidate with pending disqualification cases,” Comelec Chairperson George Erwin Garcia said in a speech. Garcia disclosed the en banc’s decision on the sidelines of the memorandum of agreement (MOA) signing with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). The move will apply to candidates with unresolved cases like premature campaigning or vote-buying. Garcia refuted arguments that the poll body’s jurisdiction ends once the results of votes are out. “The will of the people cannot prevail over the rule of law, and therefore, that is the principle that we are going to adapt as far as all violations of election laws are concerned,” he said. Garcia said barangays have nothing to worry if a winning candidate in their locality is not proclaimed right away due to a pending disqualification case. “May kagawad naman na number one, under local government code, siya muna ang magsasucceed, hanggat hindi nare-resolve iyong kaso na nasa komisyon (The No. 1-ranked councilor, under the local government code, may succeed, as long as the Commission has not yet resolved the case),” he said. The Comelec chief also mentioned the possibility of carrying out a similar strategy for the 2025 national and local Elections (NLE). BSKE rules The Comelec, meanwhile, signed an agreement with the DILG to ensure that all local government units (LGU) will adhere to BSKE rules and refrain from supporting BSK bets’ vote-buying strategies. “Through the DILG, mapagsasabihan iyong mga local officials na huwag kayong makialam dito sa ating barangay election, huwag kayong mamimigay ng gagamitin nila sa pamimili ng boto (The LGUs may be reminded not to meddle in the barangay elections and to refrain from giving resources for vote-buying),” Garcia said during the press conference. The poll body earlier warned local officials to avoid involving BSK candidates in local aid distribution as this may be presumed or classified as vote buying. Likewise, Garcia reminded all candidates to stick to the PHP5 per voter budget rule for the upcoming campaign period. “Maganda po na masunod na lang iyong ating pag-iikot na wala tayong hinahagis, binibigay, o inaabot (It’s better to just campaign without throwing, giving, or handing out [anything of value]),” he said in a separate ambush interview. The Comelec earlier emphasized that the distribution of ballers, caps, t-shirts and other campaign giveaways is considered vote-buying. To date, around 60 complaints of vote buying have been submitted to the Comelec and are now under verification. The poll body said it expects more petitions to be filed as the campaign period nears, from Oct. 19 to 28. As to premature campaigning, the Comelec has so far filed 107 disqualification petitions and issued 5,768 show cause orders against BSK bets, with responses from 2,340 recipients. For his part, DILG Secretary Benhur Abalos vowed to spearhead an information campaign on vote-buying and vote-selling in all LGUs, as well as train DILG and local government personnel in identifying and gathering evidence on election offenses. “We’re ready to support the Comelec to safeguard the ballot. Labanan natin ang pagbili at pagbebenta ng boto, isang pinakamasamang kanser ng lipunan,’ Abalos said.
Source: Philippines News Agency
