Imee Marcos asks Comelec to consider ‘customary campaigning’ amid pandemic

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Imee Marcos asked the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Thursday to take into consideration the “customary way of campaigning” as the poll body is planning a limited door-to-door campaigning style amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I enjoin you to please take into consideration the customary way of campaigning which is the entire slate. Parati namang dala-dala lahat. Hindi naman pwedeng napakarami pero at the same time, unnatural naman na wala kang kasama na kapwa kandidato,” Marcos said during the joint congressional oversight committee on the automated election system.

(Please take into consideration the customary way of campaigning so that the entire slate will always be together. It won’t be too many people, but at the same time, it would be unnatural if you are not with your co-candidates.)

This, after Comelec Director Esmeralda Ladra explained their plans for the in-person campaigning.

“The door-to-door campaigning, there shall be a maximum of five persons in a walkabout group and a maximum of five walkabout groups for each candidate. Depending on the size of the barangay where the walkabout is being conducted, there shall be a maximum of five candidates conducting a walkabout in the said barangay at the same time,” Ladra shared.

Marcos then examined the plan: “You just said that five candidates could go together. So, five may bitbit na lima (together with another five), so 25? Lumobo na siya (The number swelled).”

“Hindi po yata pinapayagan na magsama-sama ang kandidato,” Ladra responded.

(Candidates are probably not allowed to crowd together.)

Marcos noted that this was not normal, adding that candidates usually campaign together.

“Hindi yata normal ‘yun kasi ‘pag nangangampanya ka, kasama mo ‘yung buong slate mo ‘di ba? Parating binibitbit ‘yung mas mahihinang kandidato ng pinaka-rockstar sa kanila. Gano’n talaga ‘yun,” she said.

(I think that is not normal because when campaigning, you are with your whole slate, right? The most popular candidate boosts the weaker ones. That’s how it is.)

For his part, Comelec Commissioner Marlon Casquejo said that they will look into Marcos’ concern.

“To be honest, Madam Chair, hindi pa talaga ‘to (it’s not yet) final… Tinitignan pa po namin (We’ll look into it), Madam Chair, we really have to coordinate also with the IATF [Inter-Agency Task Force] rules with regards to this one,” Casquejo said.

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