Comelec exempts DSWD spending during election period despite ban

Comelec office in Intramuros, Manila. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has granted the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) request for exemption from the election spending ban, Commissioner George Garcia said Wednesday.

“The Petition for Exception of DSWD during the 45 (days) period of campaign was likewise approved/granted by the En Banc,” Garcia told reporters in a Viber message.

“We denied/ granted fully and/ or partially certain petitions of other agencies and LGUs (local government units) nationwide,” he added.

The DSWD earlier submitted a request for exemption from the election spending ban stated in Comelec Resolution No. 10747. DSWD spokesperson Irene Dumlao said their request for exemption includes infrastructure and procurement projects.

In December last year, the Government Procurement Policy Board (GPPB) also reminded agencies of the 45-day ban on new projects ahead of the May 9 elections, starting March 25 to May 8.

The GPPB said, “the election ban is not designed to paralyze the operations of the government, but to insulate government procurement from political partisan activities, usually in the form of new projects, which are designed to influence the public during the upcoming May 9, 2022, national and local elections.”

KGA