Candidates at grad rites a question of ‘delicadeza’

CEBU, Philippines —  As far as the Commission on Elections in Cebu province is concerned, there is no existing rule prohibiting candidates from guesting or speaking during graduation rites.

Lawyer Jerome Brillantes, acting Cebu provincial election supervisor, said it is up to the candidates to show a sense of propriety or “delicadeza.”

“We have no basis for prohibiting candidates… it’s only a matter of showing delicadeza whether candidates would want to meddle on these school activities,” he said.

“There is no election offense committed by the candidates if someone invited them as guest speakers. It’s up to DepEd for their guidelines. They are allowed… There is no prohibition provided by the law prohibiting them to be guest speaker,” he further explained.

On the other hand, agencies like the Department of Social Welfare and Development are prohibited from distributing relief goods or assistance to beneficiaries.

Brillantes said there is no such thing as automatic exemption even if there is impending threat and they have to secure an exemption from the Comelec head office before they can resume distribution of goods.

The DSWD-7 earlier dispensed family food packs for beneficiaries included in the food-for-work program, which was launched to assist farmers, fishermen, or households affected by the weak El Niño.

Meanwhile, the poll body reiterated its call on candidates to observe the prescribed sizes for campaign posters. Comelec-Cebu is planning to hold a simultaneous Oplan Baklas or removal of posters that are hung in non-designated places and following the wrong sizes.

Brillantes said all concerned offices, together with the election officers in Cebu, will be meeting this April 4 to discuss the matter, along with security preparations.

This issue becomes an important concern, especially that the illegal posters are very visible and rampant anywhere in the province, he added.

Brillantes said the Comelec local offices are waiting for a resolution from Comelec en banc that would hopefully provide clear guidelines on the conduct of the removal of the illegal posters.

“As what I have heard, Comelec Chairman (Sheriff) Abas really wants to file (cases) against violators… Obviously, there are many. Many still violated especially posters from local candidates… and so far, no candidate has been penalized yet,” he told reporters on Monday.

If the resolution will not be released by second or third week of April, he said, the election officers themselves can initiate their own.

Brillantes said the election officers are tasked to create their own committee that they will be spearheading; the committee will be comprised of the Philippine National Police, the Department of Public Works and Highways, and among other government agencies.

The committee, he said, will be the ones to remove the posters hung illegally and, also those posters that are not following the standard sizes.

He added that they are also asked to make an inventory of the names of the candidates and their corresponding violations, and they will have to make a report that will be sent to Manila. He said these will be used “for evidentiary purposes.”

He said Comelec will also have to send letters to these candidates concerned to notify them because their usual “counter-defense” is that they were not the ones who put those posters up.

“The burdens now will shift to the candidates. The law presumes that they already knew because we already notified them. Meaning they have consented to putting up these posters,” Brillantes said. — KBQ (FREEMAN)