WITH CANDIDATES splurging on advertisements and the election campaign shaping up to be the most expensive yet, the Commission on Elections has warned it will be very strict in enforcing the rules and will not hesitate to throw the book at erring politicians.
Under election rules that will take effect during the campaign period, national candidates are limited to only 120 minutes of airtime on television and 180 minutes on radio for the entire campaign. Local candidates are limited to an hour of television airtime and an hour and a half of radio airtime.
The Comelec released late Thursday the campaign rules and regulations for the May elections, saying it was encouraging voters to be vigilant in reporting violations by candidates.
The campaign period starts on Feb. 9 for national candidates and March 26 for local candidates. It ends on May 8, two days before the precincts open on May 10.
?We are encouraging the public to be vigilant. We are encouraging the public to file cases if they feel that violations have occurred,? Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said.
Comelec Chair Jose Melo warned that candidates who violate the campaign rules can be charged with election offenses. If convicted, they can be barred from running for public office again.
Jimenez said the poll body was issuing for the first time a set of guidelines for voters about permitted campaign modalities so that they can report to the Comelec candidates using illegal campaign materials.
He said citizens are encouraged to file illegal campaigning charges against politicians in breach of campaign laws.
Melo, who observed that this year?s campaign season looks like it will be the most expensive yet, admitted that politicians have not been following the election campaign laws scrupulously. ?They try to blame each other,? he said.
He said sanctions at present are weak and no politician has been barred from running for office because of failure to observe election campaign laws.
?But I?m willing [to start], especially with those involved in violence,? he said.
Melo also noted that the Comelec cannot disqualify candidates because there is no law providing for it. ?We can only ask the public to be vigilant,? he said.
The commission en banc?s Resolution No. 8758 affirms the provisions in the Fair Elections Law regarding the candidates? spending on advertisements in radio, television and print.
Candidates for president and vice president are allowed to spend P10 for each voter. If the candidate has a party, the party can contribute another P5.
Candidates for other positions can spend P5 per voter, to which a candidate?s party can add P3 toward his campaign.
Jimenez noted that the law is silent on politicians? guesting on television shows so these are not counted against their airtime allowance.
Candidates for all posts are allowed to buy one-fourth page of advertisements in broadsheets and half a page in tabloid papers.
The print ads ?shall not be published more than three times a week per newspaper, magazine, or other publication during the campaign period.?
Posters made of cloth, paper or cardboard should not exceed 2 feet by 3 feet in size. Streamers should not go over the mandated size of 3 feet by 8 feet.
These promotional materials should be posted in the areas designated by local Comelec offices.
With the publication of the campaign regulations, many of the candidates? billboard advertisements will be deemed unlawful starting Monday, said Jimenez. Candidates should remove these materials starting Feb. 9.
?A lot of the posters that we have been seeing fall far outside of the allowable sizes for posters and streamers. So they would be well advised to start taking down these postings, to stop showing their ads,? Jimenez said.
?They will no longer be allowed. If they persist in using them, that might have consequences for their campaign,? he said.
The Comelec said the resolution does not cover promotional materials on the Internet. The poll body is not empowered to make laws on cybercampaigns, said Jimenez. Internet campaigning will thus be a free-for-all.
