At least 30 candidates vying for national and local positions, whose names are being withheld, are facing disqualification cases for allegedly violating the Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) guidelines on illegal campaign materials.
“The Comelec’s Task Force Baklas will file cases against at least 30 to 35 individuals for violating our guidelines and for failing to remove their illegal campaign materials despite several notices,” Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia said yesterday.
He hinted that a well-known “Caviteño” senatorial bet is among the candidates to be charged for repeatedly ignoring the poll body’s call to remove the posters illegally displayed outside of the Comelec’s designated areas.
The Comelec earlier warned it would issue notices to candidates, directing them to remove unlawful campaign materials and election campaign paraphernalia mounted outside the designated areas within three days as part of its Oplan Baklas initiative.
“Failure to comply may result in the filing of election offense cases, which may lead to disqualification,” he said.
Garcia said the Comelec’s Task Force SAFE (Safeguarding Against Fear and Exclusion in Election), will also file disqualification cases against three candidates for violating the poll body’s anti-discrimination resolution.
The poll body chief disclosed that his office has received nearly 400 vote-buying complaints and are still issuing disqualification petitions.
He warned that the Commission would withhold the proclamation of winning candidates with pending election cases.
Meanwhile, the Comelec demonstrated its determination to root out candidates violating election rules when it junked the Certificate of Candidacy (COC) of Camarines Sur gubernatorial candidate Ronald Alarkon Rodriguez for “false material representation.”
In a 12-page decision, the Comelec’s first division said that the Nationalist People’s Coalition candidate was disqualified for falsely claiming he was a qualified resident of the province.
The poll body ruled that “there was deliberate attempt to mislead, misinform, and hide his [Rodriguez’s] true state of residence, which would otherwise render him ineligible” to run for governor of Camarines Sur.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “30 bets at risk of disqualification for flouting campaign rules—Comelec.”
