Comelec: 22 major thoroughfares off limits to political motorcades

Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr.. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has increased the number of major thoroughfares where motorcades will be totally banned from 18 to 22, Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. said Wednesday.

A draft resolution was already being circulated among the commissioners for their signature, Brillantes said.

“It’s already been drafted … we are waiting for the approval of [Commissioners Elias Yusoph and Lucenito Tagle] who are still abroad, ” Brillantes said. He said that he has signed it already.

All five members of the commission had recently gone abroad to finalize the arrangement for the overseas absentee voting which will be conducted beginning April 13.

Brillantes said that they will now require candidates and parties to give notice to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) of their scheduled motorcades and rallies to be staged in secondary streets.

This is in addition to the permit that they must secure from the Local Government Units (LGUs).

The notice for the MMDA was to help it monitor the event as well as to assist in the traffic rerouting in the locality.

Brillantes had said that MMDA was working closely with Comelec to come up with guidelines on the conduct of motorcades so as to prevent traffic congestion in the Metro.

The final resolution would likely be released once the four commissioners have signed it. Three poll officials – Grace Padaca, Christian Robert Lim and Brillantes – have signed so far.