Comelec still wary of vote buying in city
VOTERS education campaign will be conducted by the Commission on Election in Baguio City to inform votes on various styles of vote buying during the campaign and right before the conduct of the midterm elections in May next year.
In a press briefing, City Election Supervisor Atty. John Paul Martin stressed despite previous initiatives to inform the registered voters of the city on the various forms of vote buying, the practice is still persist.
“It is for these reason why we will be coming up with a multi-sectoral anti vote buying campaign to educate our voters of this negative practice and to encourage them to report such action to the Comelec who will now offer a witness
protection program for the voters to ensure their security,” Martin explained.
He said Comelec Baguio hooked up with the Department of Justice (DOJ) in prosecuting violators of the anti-vote buying campaign. He defined vote-buying as soliciting votes in consideration for money or anything of value.
Martin added candidates giving food and non-food items during the campaign period are considered to be violating the vote-buying provision of the election code.
"Regardless of the value of that commodity, if its given in consideration of your election, that is definitely considered as vote-buying," he noted.
Meanwhile, Martin reiterated to prospective candidates for Congressman, Mayor, Vice Mayor and Councilor the need to comply with the guidelines in filing their candidacy as it will be the prerogative of the Comelec not to accept incomplete certificates of candidacies by prospective candidates.
“All prospective candidates vying for the said positions in the city should have all copies of their certificates of candidacies duly notarized by a lawyer with his or her signature and thumbprint affixed with the official corresponding official seal, with the passport sized I.D. photos affixed on every copy,” Martin stated.
The Comelec official stressed incomplete COC’s will not be accepted on the date it is filed.
Martin reminded all winning and none winning candidates to file with the offices of the commission within thirty (30) days after election day, their full, true and itemized Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE) in connection with the election with the deadline for submission slated on June 12, 2019.
All filing candidates will have to strictly follow the time and date of filing starting at October 11 to 17 from 8 a.m. until 5 in the afternoon with no extensions.
Election period starts January 13 and ends on June 12 of next year as campaign in the national level starts February 12 to May 11 next year while the local campaign period will run from March 29 to May 11, 2019.