Duterte vows to protect ballot’s sanctity

In a bid to ensure peaceful and credible elections, President Duterte has committed to enforce the country's laws "regardless of political color or position" and protect the sanctity of the ballot.

Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said the President would also neither spend government funds for or against candidates nor block campaign rallies during the 2019 midterm elections.

"The President conveys to the nation his steadfast and unwavering commitment to strictly enforce the election laws to ensure clean, honest, and fair elections reflective of the genuine will of the electorate," Panelo said.

"The Chief Executive guarantees that all laws will be implemented and applied to everyone regardless of political color or position," he added.

The President also assured the public that the government would not tolerate "offending practices" that give undue advantage to a candidate, according to Panelo.

He likewise echoed the President's promise not to use government resources for partisan political activities.

"Not a single centavo from the taxpayers' money or any government property will be spent or used for or against a candidate," he said.

The government also recognized the right of the public to hold a campaign rally, saying such freedom will be "unhampered."

"Any official that restricts the issuance of permits to peaceably assemble and to hold campaign rallies, marches and motorcades shall be held accountable before the law," Panelo said.

He also said the President respects the right of suffrage as the "hallmark of our democracy."

"The government will thus act accordingly to protect the sanctity of the ballot and ensure that those who will win will be proclaimed winners without delay unless restrained by the courts," he said.

The President made the commitment on clean and credible polls after hundreds of candidates filed their certificates of candidacies for national and local positions for the 2019 midterm elections.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is expected to screen and release the final list of candidates on December 15. Around 172 senatorial aspirants and 213 potential representatives of party-list groups have filed their certificates of candidacies at the main Comelec office in Manila during the five-day period.