Category: Opinion, Business Mirror
Published on Tuesday, 05 February 2013 19:49
Written by James Jimenez
WITH
a mere six days to go before the start of the official campaign period for
candidates running for national positions, the Commission on Elections
(Comelec) has been constantly repeating its call for voter vigilance,
particularly in the matter of reporting campaign violations, among other
things, as described in Comelec Resolution 9615.
The
key to clean and fair campaigning is still the vigilance of the individual
voter. And so it is the individual voter who will be the most effective
vanguard of the Comelec’s efforts to
monitor compliance with the campaign rules
for the 2013 national and local elections. And with a mere six days to go
before the start of the official campaign period for candidates running for
national positions, the Comelec is ramping up its call for all concerned
citizens to be on the lookout for the signs of illegal campaigning that they
might spot on their way to and from work, school, or wherever they routinely
spend their days.
The
idea, of course, is that being a vigilant voter does not necessarily mean going
out of one’s way to seek out violations. If everybody pitches in, then it would
be enough that individuals be observant even as they go about their ordinary
business and travel their daily routes. If each voter were to take responsibility
for even just that stretch of road, the awakened Filipino electorate can send a
very powerful message to all candidates: We are watchful, we are discerning,
and we will vote for those who callously disregard campaign rules.
The
violations aren’t very difficult to spot either. Here’s a short list of
violations that ordinary citizens can easily detect and report:
• Campaigning
on Maundy Thursday, March 28.
• Campaigning
on Good Friday, March 29.
• Campaigning
on the eve of Election Day, May 12.
• Campaigning
on Election Day, May 13.
• Printed
materials such as leaflets that are larger than legal-sized bond paper, i.e., 8
½ inches in width and 14 inches in length.
• Posters made
of cloth, paper, cardboard or any other material, whether framed or posted,
measuring more than 2 feet by 3 feet.
• The use of
hazardous materials in campaign materials and the use of plastics in cities and
municipalities where plastics are banned.
• The absence
of the words “political advertisement paid for,” followed by the true and
correct name and address of the candidate or party for whose benefit the
election propaganda was printed or aired; and “political advertisements paid
by,” followed by the true and correct name and address of the payor.
• The showing,
display or exhibition in a theater, television station, or any public forum any
movie, cinematography or documentary portraying the life or biography of a
candidate, or in which a character is portrayed by an actor or media
personality who is himself a candidate.
• The posting,
display or exhibition of any election campaign or propaganda material outside
of authorized common poster areas, in public places, or in private property
without the owner’s consent.
It
is important to note that “public places” include any of the following:
electronic announcement boards, such as LED display boards located along
highways and streets, LCD TV displays posted on walls of public buildings, and
other similar devices which are owned by local government units,
government-owned and -controlled corporations, or any agency or instrumentality
of the government; motor vehicles used
as patrol cars, ambulances, and other
similar purposes that are owned by local government units,
government-owned and -controlled corporations, and other agencies and
instrumentalities of the government, particularly those bearing red license
plates; waiting sheds, sidewalks, street and lampposts, electric posts and
wires, traffic signages and other signboards erected on public property,
pedestrian overpasses and underpasses, flyovers and underpasses, bridges, main
thoroughfares, center islands of roads and highways; schools, shrines, barangay
halls, health centers, public structures and buildings or any edifice thereof;
public utility vehicles such as buses, jeepneys, trains, taxi cabs, ferries,
pedicabs and tricycles, whether motorized or not; and within the premises of
public transport terminals, such as bus terminals, airports, seaports, docks,
piers, train stations and the like.
The
public can report any of these violations through any of the following means:
by landline telephone, through 527-5574, 525-9345 and 525-9302; and, of course,
online. On the Internet, the public can send e-mails to isumbongsacomelec@gmail.com,
send a tweet to @comelectv, or post a comment on http://facebook.com/pcosdemo.
They can also fill out the feedback/incident report form they will find on
http://mycomelec.tv. For those who know how to use hashtags on Twitter, adding
#SumbongKo to tweets will facilitate the tracking of feedback or incident
reports.
Incidentally,
did you know that the Comelec chairman himself is on Twitter? Follow him via
@ChairBrillantes.
James Jimenez blog at http://jamesjimenez.com
and tweets as @jabjimenez on Twitter.
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