Tarp wars

It’s almost a month now since the official 90-day campaign period started for national candidates running in the coming May 13 elections. Despite stern warnings by the Commission on Elections (Comelec), campaign rules and regulations have been wantonly ignored by certain candidates from among the 33 senatorial bets and 123 party-list groups.

So far, the Comelec has been able to show its fangs on a number of candidates, some of whom have meekly made their public mea culpa — with the usual escape clause that it was their supporters or staff who committed the campaign violation.

Comelec chairman Sixto Brillantes has repeatedly warned candidates that campaign posters either oversized or displayed outside the common poster areas will receive notices from the Comelec law department. The Comelec notice will give violators three days to take down the unlawful materials. Failure to do so, the poll body said, could be grounds for disqualification based on anti-Epal campaign rules and regulations.

But what specifically caught the Comelec in the middle of a court battle on alleged violation of election rules on campaign posters is the controversial tarpaulin put up at the façade of San Sebastian Cathedral by the Diocese of Bacolod City.

Entitled as “Conscience Vote,” the Bacolod diocese tarpaulin listed senatorial candidates from both Teams PNoy and UNA who are grouped together either as “Team Buhay (life)” or “Team Patay (death).” Listed as “Anti-RH,” or those who voted against the approval into law of RH bill were six lawmakers in the 15th Congress running in the May 13 senatorial elections.

With a big check mark on “Team Buhay,” the following senatorial candidates who voted against the RH bill presumably are endorsed, namely, San Juan Rep. JV Ejercito (UNA), Zambales Rep. Mitos Magsaysay (UNA); re-electionist Senators Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan (UNA); Antonio Trillanes IV (Team PNoy); Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III (Team PNoy); and ex-Las Piñas Rep. Cynthia Villar (Team PNoy).

On the other hand, the diocese classified the following senatorial candidates as “Team Patay,” for being identified as “pro-RH.” With a big “X” mark above their names, these were Cagayan Rep. Jack Enrile (UNA); re-electionist Senators Alan Peter Cayetano (Team PNoy); Loren Legarda (Team PNoy); Francis “Chiz” Escudero (Team PNoy); Edgardo “Sonny” Angara (Team PNoy); Bayan Muna Rep. Teodoro “Teddy” Casiño (Independent); and, former Akbayan party-list Rep. Rissa Hontiveros (Team PNoy).

So in terms of the number of candidates, both Team PNoy and UNA in the “Team Buhay” are equally represented in the “Conscience Vote” endorsed by the Bacolod Diocese.

In “Team Patay,” however, there are five administration-backed senatorial candidates who landed in the shit list compared to just one in UNA.

But from these senatorial candidates in the “X” list of the Bacolod Diocese, Angara gave the most rational reaction. Angara, a lawyer by profession, acknowledged it is entirely the prerogative of the Catholic Church, through the priests and bishops, to campaign for their preferred candidates. Angara pointed out it is the job of the Comelec, on the other hand, to determine electioneering.

Aside from the senatorial bets of Team PNoy and UNA, party-list groups are also included in the controversial Bacolod Diocese list of candidates listed presumably as deserving support in the coming May elections. Only two party-list groups are in the checklist of the diocese, namely, Buhay and Ang Pamilya. In the “Team Patay” are, namely, the pro-administration Akbayan, and left-leaning party-list groups Gabriela, Bayan Muna, and Anak Pawis.

Lawyers of the Diocese of Bacolod won the first round of their legal battle with the Comelec after the Supreme Court (SC) granted their petition to stop the poll body from enforcing its directive to take down the alleged illegal tarpaulin from the cathedral façade. In a three-page resolution, the SC granted the preliminary relief sought in the temporary restraining order (TRO) petition of Bacolod Bishop Vicente Navarra.

The TRO effectively stopped the poll body from implementing the notice to remove campaign materials issued by Bacolod election officer as ordered by the Comelec Law Department. The SC set the oral arguments of the case on March 19. The SC further ordered the Comelec to justify its order in a comment to be submitted within 10 days from receipt of notice last Tuesday.

According to Brillantes, Hontiveros and Ang Kabataan and LPG Marketers Association (LPGMA) to date have been top violators. They were served four notices each for their unlawful campaign materials since the campaign period started last Feb. 12.

In his Twitter account, Brillantes had listed as violators other Team PNoy candidates, Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV, Trillanes, Legarda, and Escudero whose “A-Plus” paint advertisement was documented as still placed on a taxi cab unit. Also being asked by Comelec to explain their reported violation of anti-Epal campaign are Enrile, Honasan, Ting-ting Cojuangco also of UNA as well as independent senatorial bet Bro. Eddie Villanueva.

The Comelec served notices of alleged campaign violations to the following party-list groups: Sanlakas, Anak Mindanao, Gabriela, Akbayan, Bagong Henerasyon (BH), A-Teacher, An-Waray, ACT-CIS, Binhi, 1 BRO-PGBI, UMALAB-KA, KALINGA, 1-SAGIP, KATRIBU, and ABROAD.

But while the Comelec has been strictly enforcing its anti-Epal campaign, it has been obviously been lenient with blatant violations of local candidates. The official campaign period for the local candidates is supposed to start on March 29 yet, but many of them have already been engaged in tarp wars with their rivals.

A case in point is in the ongoing tarp war of local bets in the city of Parañaque. To go around the Comelec’s anti-Epal campaign, tarps avoid any reference to “vote” for this or that candidate. This is replicated elsewhere in the country.

In a light vein, Brillantes described as “pasaway” the candidates engaged in these tarp wars, or those who continue to ignore the Comelec’s anti-Epal tarps and posters. Well, it seems we have to grin and bear with these clowns and decide their fate on election day.