City dad wants bets to secure spectators

CEBU, Philippines — As the campaign for national candidates begins, the City Council called upon those who will be holding campaign events in Cebu City to ensure the safety of spectators after an incident was reported in which an individual almost got into an accident during a political motorcade.

This stemmed from the privilege speech of Councilor Pastor "Jun" Alcover, who raised his concerns about an incident that occurred following the kickoff of the election campaign for national candidates last February 11, 2025, marking the beginning of the intense campaigns.

Alcover's said the incident happened on the same day the campaign period began when some candidates for the national election conducted a motorcade along the Talamban corridor. The candidates distributed free t-shirts, giveaways, and other campaign merchandise.

"Ilang gipang-itsa. Ilang gipanglabay sa mga tawo nga naglinya dira sa kadalanan. Gikagubtan kini sa mga nangagi," said Alcover.

According to the report he received, there was an individual who was almost hit by a vehicle in his struggle to grab campaign merchandise.

In his speech, Alcover clarified that distributing campaign materials during this midterm election is not explicitly prohibited. He cited the Commission on Elections (Comelec) Resolution 11086, dated December 9, 2024.

What he is against was the act of giving these campaign materials during motorcades.

"Akong awhagon ang mga kandidato sa umaabot nga local election nga dili nato sundon ang gibuhat sa ubang kandidato ‘ning national election," said Alcover… Ato unta tagaan og balor ang seguridad ug malayo sa peligro atong nga lumolupyo sa pagpahigayon niining motorcade," he added.

He also appealed that during the distribution of giveaways during motorcades, the materials should not be thrown to avoid accidents.

"This is an appeal to all candidates, to have precautionary measures on the possibility of accidents during the said motorcade giveaways," said Alcover.

He said that election candidates must not wait for another accident to happen before taking action on political motorcades. He added that although what transpired in Talamban was not classified as an accident, it should not happen again.

During the discussion, Councilor Joy Young asked that the candidate Alcover mentioned be named. However, Alcover said that such a disclosure was not necessary, as his appeal was intended for all candidates and not to single out any particular one.