Gov’t staff reminded vs wearing clothes promoting poll bets during work hours

FILE PHOTO: CSC Commissioner Aileen Lizada. INQUIRER/GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

MANILA, Philippines — A Civil Service Commission (CSC) commissioner on Tuesday reminded government employees not  to wear clothes containing words which signify support to a candidate during work hours.

CSC Commissioner Aileen Lizada, while saying that government workers could wear any colors they like during so-called “civilian days,” still issued a caveat.

“It is your decision to wear what color you like, pero wag yung color na may ‘vote for’ wag po yun [but not the color with ‘vote for’],” Lizada said over Teleradyo if asked when government employees could be punished when they are wearing colors.

Lizada also noted that government employees usually have uniforms, but there are so-called “civilian days” — which usually falls on a Friday — when employees could wear whatever decent clothes they want.

The commissioner warned: “If you are using civilian day then tell ‘wear this color, wear this color’ it is intended to promote a certain candidate. Bawal ho yan, [That’s not prohibited] in its totality.”

She said that she is also being careful in choosing her clothes.

“Personally, like before coming to this interview, I had to check what I am wearing my colors,” she said.

Lizada added: “Sana lahat ng kawani gobyerno, let us be… baka mamaya ma-misinterpret ako kasi iba ang kulay [ng damit ko] at, ay bakit kulay ano yan, Si Commissioner ba ay para sa ganito? So I check my colors.”

(I hope all government officials, let us be… for instance, I could be misinterpreted because the color of my clothes is different, then they might say ‘why is she wearing that color, is the Commissioner supporting that one? So I check my colors.)

Candidates usually adopt certain colors as a theme during the campaign period.

For instance, presidential hopefuls vice president Leni Robredo and former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. have adopted pink and red as their campaign colors, respectively.

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