No election laws violated by twerking in LP gathering – Comelec

MANILA, Philippines - The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said yesterday that those behind the lewd performance of the Playgirls dancers during an event of the Liberal Party (LP) in Sta. Cruz, Laguna last week did not violate election laws.

According to Comelec Commissioner Christian Robert Lim, the sexy dance called twerking done by the dance group does not constitute an election offense.

“When the Omnibus Election Code was invented, there was no twerking yet. Under the Revised Penal Code, there are (provisions on) obscenity but not in election laws,” he noted.

The Playgirls performed the suggestive dance during the oath taking of new LP members in Laguna, which also happened to be the birthday celebration of Laguna Rep. Benjamin Agarao Jr. The dance number went viral and complaints mounted against the alleged exploitation of women.

The emcee had announced that the dance number was a gift of Metro Manila Development Authority Chairman Francis Tolentino to Agarao.

Tolentino had denied that he sent the dancers to the Laguna event.

But Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista assured the people that this does not mean that they would not be accepting any complaint filed regarding the incident.

“If someone will file a case, we will see if there was a violation. But you have to cite specific legal ground. But obscenity, lewd or acts of lasciviousness is not in the Omnibus Election Code but in the criminal code,” he added.

Interior Secretary Mel Senen Sarmiento is looking into the possible liability of local officials who participated in the raunchy show in Laguna.

The first question is if a barangay official violated any law if he only watched the show, Sarmiento said.

He said any administrative action by the department should be done with due process.

He said the department should consider mitigating factors if an official was forced to go on stage and used as prop of the dancers.

The LP is investigating the show held after the oath taking of party members and the birthday celebration of a congressman in Sta. Cruz, Laguna last Thursday.

Three scantily clad Playgirls performed a sexy dance number during the 58th birthday and 40th anniversary in government service of Agarao. – With Cecille Suerte Felipe