Comelec: No more campaigning today

CEBU, Philippines - Candidates in tomorrow’s barangay elections who will be caught campaigning today may run the risk of being disqualified, Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. said yesterday.

The campaign period officially ended yesterday.

Brillantes warned that violators face an election offense punishable with one to six years’ imprisonment, disqualification from holding public office and suspension of rights of suffrage.

On the other hand, the Philippine National Police (PNP) was placed on full alert status since Saturday.

PNP chief Director Ge-neral Alan Purisima said the full alert status took effect at 6 a.m. to intensify election security efforts for the barangay elections tomorrow, Monday.

PNP spokesman Senior Superintendent Reuben Theodore Sindac said policemen’s leaves of absence were cancelled and all personnel were required to report to their duty stations.

“The highest alert condition will remain in effect until after election security operations had been completed,” Sindac said.

Sindac assured the PNP is committed to ensure the peaceful and orderly procee-dings of the elections on Monday.

Deputy Director General Felipe Rojas Jr. said uniformed policemen would be deployed on the eve of elections in all polling precincts all over the country.

Voters from different parts of the country, except for Bohol and Zamboanga City, would troop to polling precincts on Monday to elect their village leaders.

In Central Visayas, police offices have been on full alert since the 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit Bohol last October 15.

Central Command spokesperson Lt. Jim Alagao said the full alert status will be retained until All Saint’s Day and All Soul’s Day on November 1 and 2.

About 803 AFP personnel will be deployed across Region 7 as augmentation force – at least 516 will be in Cebu Province, 92 in Lapu-Lapu City, 166 in Negros Oriental, and 29 in Siquijor Pro-vince.

No augmentation force will be deployed to Cebu City and Mandaue City as personnel as police in both police offices have enough personnel.

Provincial Police Director Sr. Supt. Noel Gillamac said he has enough men to cover 44 municipalities and six component cities.

As of yesterday, the Regional Public Safety Battalion (RPSB) deployed 152 personnel for Cebu Province. Also, 210 other personnel came from Cebu City Police Office and 223 were from the Regio-nal Operations and Plans Division (ROPD).

From a national perspective, the number of election-related incidents in this year’s polls is lower  compared to the 2010 barangay elections. The PNP has placed a total of  6,195 barangays or 14.74 percent of the 42,028 barangays nationwide under its election watch list.

Brillantes, for his part, noted the intense rivalry in the coming elections, which he said is evident in the fact that many candidates have similar family names.

Brillantes said they observed in the certificates of candidacy filed by candidates that many of  them are relatives.

So as not to waste their votes, Brillantes advised vo-ters to put the first name of their candidates on the ballots if there are other aspirants with the same surname.

Honorarium

He said the teachers serving as Board of Election Tellers (BETs) are guided by the Comelec’s Rules on Appreciation when dealing with such situation.

Comelec also decided to shell out its own money to pay the honorarium of the tea-chers serving as election officers.

Comelec said with the failure of many local leaders to contribute for the payment of teachers serving as poll workers under Resolution No. 9739, it decided to shell out its own money to pay them.

The Comelec resolution mandates the local government units to contribute at least P10, but not more than 10 percent of the general fund of a barangay.

“Reports from various field offices of the Commission indicate the continued unwillingness and desistance of several local government units in complying with Resolution No. 9739 for various reasons, as well as impending non-compliance of several others due to lack of funding,” Comelec said.

The Comelec reiterated its warning to local leaders that non-compliance with the order without sufficient justifiable reason is an election offense.

Comelec was forced to seek assistance from the local government units under Resolution No. 9739 due to the insufficient funds allocated by the Department of Budget and Management for the barangay elections. . — Philippine Star News Service and Ria Mae Y. Booc/JMO