Campaign period for overseas voting ends today

Starting today, senatorial candidates and party-list groups are no longer allowed to campaign abroad, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said yesterday.

While campaigning in the Philippines remains on for those seeking local and national posts, the case overseas is not the same, according to Comelec-Office for Overseas Voting director Elaiza Sabile-David.

David noted that the campaign period for overseas absentee voting ends today, the eve of the month-long voting abroad, which starts tomorrow and runs until May 13.

For voting in the Philippines, the campaign period ends on May 12 or the eve of election day on May 13.

David, however, admitted that it is not easy to monitor compliance on the campaign ban overseas, especially if it is done online.

She reported that vote counting machines, official ballots and other election documents have been deployed to various Philippine posts abroad.

“As of now, we cannot say that everything has arrived already. But the machines and the ballots have all been shipped,” she added.

Aside from this, the final testing and sealing processes of the vote counting machines have also been completed.

Data show that there are 1.78 million voters who registered for overseas absentee voting.

Transparency in procedures

Meanwhile, former Comelec commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal has asked the poll body to be transparent in the processes for the transmission of data in the May 13 midterm elections.

In a letter to the Comelec, Larrazabal said the terms of reference of the transmission of data should be released by the poll body amid concerns surrounding the “integrity of its results.”

Larrazabal is currently working as legal counsel of the Nationalist People’s Coalition.

“The honorable commission must guarantee to the electorate that there will be layers of protection to safeguard it against attacks and manipulation, whether physical or wireless,” he said.