Comelec wants fine, jail time for nuisance bets
Following the resolution of the local election debacle in Negros Oriental perpetrated by a nuisance candidate, the Commission on Elections is drumming up support for measures to criminalize nuisance candidacies and impose fines or jail time as penalty......»»
Comelec OKs suspending proclamation of 2 local bets
Comelec OKs suspending proclamation of 2 local bets.....»»
Observe poll laws, Abalos tells bets
Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos over the weekend said he was pleased that majority of Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections bets at least in Tondo, Manila were opting to comply with poll rules. “We went around and found few violations. So I commend the city of Manila under Mayor Honey for the successful Comelec drive that ensured obedience to the poll regulations,” he said. Abalos issued the statement shortly after joining Comelec chairman George Garcia in conducting Oplan Baklas drive or the removal of illegally placed and oversized campaign materials, particularly those hanging from electric posts or wires in Barangay 128, Tondo, Manila. As per Comelec rules, all BSKE bets are required to place all their campaign materials especially tarpaulins in the common poster areas. This, as he also reiterated his call for BSKE candidates to observe and abide by all election laws, rules, and regulations to ensure the successful and orderly conduct of BSKE. “Read up on the laws. It lists all that has to be done including the use of e-payment platforms for vote-buying. Let us maintain the integrity of the election and give the voters the respect that they deserve,” he pointed out. He went on to explain that candidates who hold bingo games, distribute prices, conduct hakot system or mass transporting of voters before or during election day, and handing out cash are telltale signs of being engaged in vote buying. Meanwhile, the Quezon City Government on Saturday said it is all set for the 2023 BSKE to be held in 169 polling precincts. Mayor Joy Belmonte lauded the relevant government agencies and QC Government departments such as the City Treasurer’s Office for leaving no stone unturned to ensure that QCitizens in 142 barangays can safely exercise their right to vote. The post Observe poll laws, Abalos tells bets appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Comelec to BSKE bets: Follow campaign rules
Comelec to BSKE bets: Follow campaign rules.....»»
341 BSKE bets tagged for illegal campaign
Over 300 candidates for the 30 October Barangay and Sanguniang Kabataan Elections have been issued show cause orders by the Commission on Elections due to suspected campaign violations. Comelec chairman George Erwin Garcia said that about 341 candidates have been issued show cause orders due to illegal campaigning. “As of yesterday, about 341 were already issued with show cause for illegal campaigning,” he said. According to Garcia, having campaign posters that are larger than the allowed size and disseminating materials in unauthorized areas are one of the violations committed by the candidates. The Comelec launched on Friday the Nationwide simultaneous “Operation Baklas” for the BKSE, removing the illegal campaign paraphernalia in unauthorized areas. “Outside common poster areas, that’s illegal. Private property, that’s legal as long as these comply with the size of 2 x 3 feet,” Garcia said. The chairman reminded the candidates to follow the allowable sizes for election materials, 8.5 x 14 inches for flyers, 2 x 3 feet for tarpaulins, and 3 x 8 feet for streamers. In an interview, Garcia said that the Comelec is preparing a resolution on how it can suspend the proclamation of winking candidates who have pending cases. The post 341 BSKE bets tagged for illegal campaign appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
5 vote buying DQ cases filed by Comelec, warns LGU of prohibitions
The Commission on Elections has begun filing petitions against the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections candidates allegedly involved in vote buying on 6 October. Out of the 40 complaints being investigated, the Comelec poll board submitted five disqualification petitions, according to Comelec Deputy Executive for Operations Rafael Olano. He added that the Committee on Vote Buying has received complaints from the public on various platforms, including Facebook and messages which contained screenshots or images. "All of these complaints came from voters. We verified and evaluated them for possible filing of disqualification cases “he said. Olano confirmed that one of the five candidates under investigation for disqualification is involved in a BSK bet showing up at a local government unit aid distribution, which he claimed to be qualified as vote buying. “There were local government officials, mayors distributing relief but the BSKE candidate was present and was allowed to speak," he said. After the official filing of candidacy, it was claimed that another BSK candidate distributed financial aid out of his pocket. Prior to the election, the poll body warned candidates of its strict measures which prohibit the distribution of ballers, t-shirts, caps, and anything else of worth under the suspicion of vote buying and selling. Comelec Commissioner Ernesto Ferdinand Maceda Jr. reminded LGU officials to be aware of such prohibitions during a separate briefing. "If they conduct assistance programs, they should not let BSKE candidates join them, lest they be disqualified,” he said. Maceda added that the Comelec would consider potential reinforcing techniques if similar incidents persist as the campaign period drew closer. “We will study how to reprimand them or take appropriate actions,” he said. In the end, Maceda stressed that the poll body is “dead serious” about its exclusion warning in order to assure not just the validity and honesty of the BSK polls but also to raise the bar for campaigning standards across the nation and the importance of each BSK candidate’s character. As of Friday, the Task Force Anti-Epal had filed an additional 10 disqualification petitions against candidates who were allegedly involved in premature campaigning while the Committee on Kontra Bigay had filed five disqualification cases for vote buying. Overall, there are 82 petitions for premature campaigning, 5,169 show cause orders, and 1,132 responses from the BSK bets. The post 5 vote buying DQ cases filed by Comelec, warns LGU of prohibitions appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Comelec begins filing disqualification cases vs BSKE bets
The Commission on Elections began filing disqualification cases yesterday against candidates in the Oct. 30 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections accused of engaging in premature campaigning......»»
Comelec set to file DQ cases vs BSKE bets
The Commission on Elections has issued show-cause orders to over 1,200 candidates in the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections who allegedly engaged in premature campaigning......»»
91 BSKE candidates facing disqualification
The Commission on Elections on Sunday reported that 91 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections candidates on 30 October are facing disqualifications. COMELEC Chairman George Garcia, in a radio interview at dzBB, said the COMELEC has already issued the candidates show cause orders over their alleged election offenses such as premature campaigning. "There were no formal complaints. These were only the results of what we have seen or reported to us. What the COMELEC did is motu proprio investigation. This is the COMELEC’s own initiative," Garcia said. He added that the COMELEC has the power to investigate and file its own complaints against candidates who commit election offenses. COMELEC spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco also last Friday said they have over a hundred petitions for disqualification due to various election offenses, as of Thursday. At least 43 of the petitions are to declare certain candidates as nuisance bets, cancel certain certificates of candidacy (COCs), and disqualify over some issues. The rest have yet to be formally filed. The 91 candidates, on the other hand, were given three days from the receipt of the show cause orders to explain their sides regarding the accusations. For formal complaints, Garcia said, the COMELEC would issue subpoenas. The poll body has repeatedly warned against premature campaigning as the campaign period will run only from 19 to 28 October. Garcia said putting up posters and promoting themselves on social media before the campaign period starts may be considered premature campaigning. "The filing of show cause orders against 91 BSKE bets was just the beginning. There will be many more. We will do that daily," Garcia said. The COMELEC chair earlier encouraged voters to file complaints against BSKE candidates who will campaign even before the official campaign period starts. Around 1,414,487 COCs were filed across the country for the coming BSKE. The post 91 BSKE candidates facing disqualification appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Over 100 BSKE bets face disqualification
More than 100 candidates in the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections on Oct. 30 are facing disqualification, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) reported yesterday......»»
BSKE: Comelec sees 2 million bets filing COCs
Over two million aspirants for the upcoming barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections are expected to file their certificates of candidacy nationwide, Commission on Elections Chairman George Garcia said during the first day of COC filing yesterday......»»
Comelec: Bets responsible for oversized materials
The Commission on Elections will hold accountable barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections candidates who will be endorsed using oversized campaign materials placed in private properties......»»
Comelec warns vs spending public funds during BSKE campaign period
The Commission on Elections on Thursday reminded incumbent local politicians that spending public funds during the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections campaign period on 19 to 28 October is prohibited by law. Speaking to reporters in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte during the Comelec’s three-day meeting there, chairman George Erwin Garcia warned that violators of the law may face criminal charges or disqualify guilty parties from the elections. Section 261(v) of the Omnibus Election Code prohibits public officials and employees from using and spending public funds for public works and other expenses provided under the provision during the election period. Garcia also reminded that only incumbent local officials are allowed to campaign for their respective BSKE bets and not government and civil service employees. Political parties are also not allowed to endorse candidates and candidates are not allowed to represent political parties. “We can’t prevent their campaign and endorsement, but there are limitations with the use of public funds,” he added. Meanwhile, Comelec Commissioner Ernesto Maceda Jr. said there is a need for ways to make parties guilty of vote buying and other illegal acts accountable under election rules or Section 261 of the OEC. Maceda said the current election laws are insufficient, making it hard for authorities to determine the gravity of vote buying and other anomalies. “Our present legal framework or structure is insufficient. It’s easy to complain but hard to prove.... It’s not because of any inadequacy on the part of the persons who made this effort, but because the requirement of proving something like this, which is a crime, is the same as proving any other crime,” Maceda said. The post Comelec warns vs spending public funds during BSKE campaign period appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Comelec: Unqualified local aspirants will be rejected
The Commission on Elections on Monday announced that it will order its regional offices to outright reject the certificate of candidacies of unqualified aspirants for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections, including overaged Sangguniang Kabataan bets and candidates for barangay posts who are not registered voters. Comelec chairperson George Erwin Garcia said that the move is to prevent a backlog of disqualification cases related to the upcoming polls as there are more than 4,000 petitions have been filed before the poll body. “We have decided that the local Comelec has the powers to reject and remove the CoCs of those unqualified. Why do we need to make things difficult? We’ll just not accept the candidacies of these people,” Garcia said. He added that Section 39 of Title Two, Chapter 1 of the Local Government Code of 1991 states that barangay aspirants must be at least 18 years old during election day on 30 October, must be a registered voter, as well as a resident of the barangay concerned for at least a year, and should be able to read or write. Meanwhile, Section 2 of Chapter 10 of Republic Act 10742 or the Sangguniang Kabataan Reform Act of 2015 states that candidates must be between 18 to 24 years of age on election day, able to read and write in English, Filipino or the dialect used in the barangay, must not be related to incumbent national and local officials at the “second civil degree of consanguinity or affinity,” and must not be convicted with finality on cases involving moral turpitude. However, Garcia clarified that disqualified aspirants could petition for their candidacy before the Comelec who will, in turn, decide whether their local poll boards were correct or not with their rejections. He also vowed to rule on all petitions, including disqualification petitions, before the 30 October polls. “We are committing ourselves to resolve these petitions before 30 October, for us to prove whether someone’s candidacy should be removed or not. If we affirmed the decision of the local Comelec, they could go to the Supreme Court,” Garcia said. The filing of CoCs is scheduled from 28 August to 2 September, with the first day marking the start of the election period for the Barangay and SK Elections. The post Comelec: Unqualified local aspirants will be rejected appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Comelec: 29 poll bets probed for vote buying
Twenty-nine candidates in the May 2022 elections are being investigated by the Commission on Elections for alleged involvement in vote buying incidents, Comelec Chairman George Garcia said yesterday during the budget briefing at the Senate......»»
Comelec wants fine, jail time for nuisance bets
Following the resolution of the local election debacle in Negros Oriental perpetrated by a nuisance candidate, the Commission on Elections is drumming up support for measures to criminalize nuisance candidacies and impose fines or jail time as penalty......»»
9 poll bets in NegOr, 4 in Dumaguete fail to file SOCEs
DUMAGUETE CITY - Nine candidates who sought various elective positions in the May 9 polls in Negros Oriental and four from here have failed to file their Statements of Contribution and Expenses (SOCEs) on June 8, the deadline set by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).Comelec records showe.....»»
Comelec eyes antigen test for 2022 poll bets
While the rules are not yet clear, the Commission on Elections will require candidates for the 2022 polls to submit antigen test results, according to Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon......»»
LIST: Saint movies to watch this Holy Week
YouTube offers free access to films on the lives of Catholic Saints in time for the Holy Week. .....»»
Comelec says systems can thwart foreign interference
The Commission on Elections is preparing to defend its servers from attempts to hack it in the 2025 midterm polls, its chairperson announced on Wednesday......»»
Sy family invests P5 billion in Megawide affiliate
The Sy family is once again playing a big brother role to a company led by businessman Edgar Saavedra, this time investing in Megawide’s affiliate renewable energy real estate investment trust......»»