Register social media pages, bets told

THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Bacolod City urged the candidates to register their social media pages and blog sites with the poll office’s Education and Information Department (EID).

Outgoing Bacolod election registrar Mavil Majarucon-sia said using social media pages for the elections has corresponding guidelines.

She said in January, Comelec ordered all political parties and candidates to register the website name and web address of the official blog or social media page that would be used to disseminate their online campaign materials.

Under the resolution, website owners or administrators are now required to submit to the Comelec certified true copies of broadcast logs, certificates of performance, affidavits of publication and other records to allow the pollbody to include it in the computation of a candidate’s expenditures.

Majarucon-sia said the EID has a separate division to monitor the social media pages or blogs of all the candidates.

“It’s very hard to monitor, but if there’s a complaint against the candidates, it can be used against them,” she said.

She added the candidates should fill out the form in Comelec website and forward it to the EID.

Meanwhile, the Comelec already removed the illegal tarpaulins of the candidates in various barangays in Bacolod.

Majarucon-sia said they removed the tarpaulins with greetings of the national candidates.

She also talked with the Central Negros Electric Cooperative, and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to help them prohibit the candidates of posting their campaign materials on electrical posts and trees because it’s illegal./map