(INQUIRER PHOTO/LYN RILLON)
MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Friday said it is looking at modifying rules on the usual face-to-face campaign with the 2022 presidential elections approaching amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a press briefing, Comelec Commissioner Aimee Ampoloquio said that the commission is taking into consideration the current COVID-19 situation not only in the Philippines but overseas as well.
“As of now, the existing guidelines and the campaign is still facing to face. However, we are studying the possibility of modifying our rules on campaigns since we have the pandemic, and we will see if we can do that as we progress,” Ampoloquio said.
Comelec Commissioner Aimee Ampoloquio (Photo from Comelec)
“So if it’s not really advisable for us, for the candidates to go on a face to face campaign, I think we may limit or we may introduce some other forms of a campaign that the candidates can adopt,” she added.
The filing of certificates of candidacy for the 2022 national and local elections scheduled will begin on October 1 and end on October 8, 2021, including weekends.
The campaign period for national positions (president, vice president, senator, and party-list groups) will be from Feb. 8, 2022 to May 7, 2022.
Meanwhile, the campaign period for local positions (House of Representatives member and ocal government unit officials ) will be from March 25 to May 7, 2022.