Party-list groups face disqualification

MANILA, Philippines - The Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday warned several party-list groups of disqualification from the elections in May for  violation of campaign poster rules.

“Comelec is ready to launch a new wave of disqualification of party-list groups, despite the printing of ballots, if prompted by their illegal posters,” Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes posted in his Twitter account.

A total of 123 party-list groups are listed on the official ballots currently being printed at the National Printing Office.

Of the 123, only 71 were declared qualified by the Comelec to run for the 58 seats allotted for party-list at the House of Representatives.

The 52 groups were earlier disqualified by the poll body but managed to get status quo ante orders from the Supreme Court (SC), prompting the Comelec to include them in the ballots.

According to Brillantes, violation of campaign rules is a ground for cancellation of accreditation with the Comelec under Republic Act 7941 or the Party-List System Act of 1995.

Under Comelec Resolution 9615, campaign posters shall be displayed only in “common poster areas” identified by election officers.

“Posting them in a common poster area does not refer to a post, a tree, the wall of a building or an existing public structure,” the resolution said.

Campaign posters are banned along public roads, in plazas, parks, school premises and other public grounds, the Comelec said. – With Edu Punay