Bets reminded: No campaigning on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday

MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) reminded candidates that campaigning is prohibited on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday of the Holy Week.

Comelec Education and Information Department Director James Jimenez told reporters in a press conference Monday that campaigning is understood as “all activities related to getting votes or opposing the election of another [candidate].”

“Just to be on the safe side, candidates should really just rest on Good Friday [and] reflect on their choices, like the rest of us,” Jimenez said.

Good Friday, March 29, is also the start of the campaign period for candidates for Members of the House of Representatives, regional, provincial, city and municipal officials.

Jimenez said that Comelec will be going around on Good Friday to continue the campaign against illegal election propaganda.

“We are already marking out areas in Metro Manila that we know are full of those materials, and once the campaign period starts, we can go there immediately and if they are still there we can send the notices [to take them down] immediately,” Jimenez said.