MANILA, Philippines — The Commissison on Elections is eyeing a ban on face-to-face campaigning for the May 2022 general elections amid the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic, a Comelec official said yesterday.
“As far as the Comelec is concerned, the pandemic won’t be over for quite a while,” James Jimenez, spokesman for the poll body, said in a television interview.
Jimenez said the Comelec was making preparations based on the assumption that the pandemic would “still (be) around” during the elections.
“Certainly, there will be a change in the campaigning landscape. Activities such as giving out campaign materials or going out and talking to people face-to-face, that’s going to change. Door-to-door campaigns might be prohibited,” he said.
Jimenez said face-to-face encounters between the candidates and the public may cause transmission of the virus.
If the face-to-face campaigning is banned, he said the Comelec may resort to online campaigning. But this will need a modification on campaign rules.
“I am not certain whether or not such prohibition will be declared,” Jimenez said, adding that the Comelec would have to coordinate with the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.