Don’t use my name to campaign: Tomas

As long as they are not using his name, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña said candidates in the Barangay ang Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections can do whatever they want to introduce themselves to voters.

Osmeña said this in reaction to reports that some of the candidates in the May 14 polls took the opportunity to campaign during the distribution of senior citizens’ assistance last Saturday.

“That’s very minor. As long as they’re not using my name,” he said.

Even the opposition, Osmeña said, is also using the opportunity to campaign, just like what former mayor Michael Rama did before.

Osmeña said that Rama put his name and picture on an envelope that contained cash assistance for senior citizens.

“He was really taking advantage of the situation,” Osmeña said.

With less than two weeks to go before the elections, Atty. Veronico Patalcorin, director of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) 7, warned candidates against premature campaigning.

The campaign period will start on May 4 yet.

Premature campaigning is an election offense under Section 80 of the Omnibus Election Code.

In an earlier interview, Petalcorin said aspirants can campaign before the filing of the certificate of candidacy (COC).

But once they file their COCs, Petalcorin said, they are no longer allowed to campaign until the start of the campaign period.