EDITORIAL - The local races

The campaign period for local positions officially begins today, allowing the Commission on Elections to enforce its rules on fair campaigning for those seeking posts in local governments and the House of Representatives.

Public expectations are high that the Comelec can at least minimize the anarchy in the races for both national and local posts – from the display of campaign posters to the use of social media for self-promotion and the misuse of state resources for partisan purposes.

The Comelec opened another opportunity for unfair campaigning when it announced that barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan officials can campaign for their favored candidates, although they are still covered by election rules and regulations. The Comelec must do its utmost to penalize BSK officials who break the rules.

Every effort must also be made by the Comelec to penalize those who violate the prohibition against candidates – including incumbent local and national officials – from taking credit, whether in person or through campaign materials, for state-funded ayuda distribution.

The Comelec exempted the aid distribution from the election spending ban, in acknowledgment of the reality that emergencies that call for aid can crop up any time, and the government is the principal source of assistance for the poor.

But the implementing rules and regulations for the exemption limit the aid programs – from the identification of beneficiaries to the actual distribution – to personnel of the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the relevant agencies with direct supervision over the covered services.

One of the programs – the Ayuda para sa Kapos ang Kita Program – still faces a legal challenge before the Supreme Court, after it was inserted at the last minute with a P26-billion funding into the 2025 national budget by the bicameral conference committee, even if AKAP was not in the national expenditure program submitted by the executive.

The Comelec must also monitor disinformation and fake news, campaigning through social media, the movement of funds for vote buying and the use of armed violence to undermine the will of the electorate. The poll body has tapped the help of several agencies and sectors for its numerous challenging tasks, among them social media platforms, cyber sleuths, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, law enforcement agencies and civic groups.

Candidates and their supporters are encouraged to monitor their rivals for possible violations. Apart from these, citizen vigilance and cooperation with the Comelec will be a major boost to the promotion of honest, orderly and peaceful elections.