EDITORIAL - Comelec needs your help

The move of an organization of texters and a radio station to help the Commission on Elections monitor election law violations is laudable, especially now that the scheduled elections is just less than a month away and the poll body is at its busiest.

An organization recently volunteered to coordinate with the Comelec on the removal of election posters and streamers that did not comply with election laws. Radio station dyAB also told the poll body that it will help by passing on information about election law violations gathered by its staff and listeners. Such moves are really a big help to the commission, which has a gargantuan task of assuring a peaceful and orderly elections.

Why does the Comelec need our help in monitoring election law violations?

It is a fact that the Comelec does not have the manpower to monitor the goings-on of the campaign. They do not have people who can survey the different areas in the province if the candidates complied with the provisions of the Fair Elections Act such as the prescribed sizes of campaign materials and the putting up of posters in designated Comelec poster areas. The Comelec also does not have the luxury of checking on the candidates'' compliance of the rules on campaigning, if they used government resources or if government employees participated in campaign sorties during office hours.

The Comelec is simply swamped with work and it needs the help of well-meaning individuals and organizations, even if only to help in its monitoring work. Other organizations and individuals who have the capacity to help should follow the example of the texters'' organization and dyAB because the Comelec needs all the help it can get to perform its tasks.

Surely it does not cost much to call or text the Comelec or dyAB to report an election violation.