Poll body Spokesman James Jimenez referred to Section 18 of COMELEC Resolution No. 9615 which stated that, “common poster areas shall be allowed by the Election Officer only in selected public places such as plazas, markets, barangay centers and the like where posters may be readily seen or read, with the heaviest pedestrian and/or vehicular traffic in the City or Municipality.”

“The COMELEC Resolution is very clear. Candidates may be allowed to put up their posters in designated Common Poster Areas (CPAs), but at their own expense. Sila ang gagastos para sa istruktura para makabit nila ang kanilang mga poster,” said Jimenez.

“We cannot just allow candidates to post their campaign materials on electric posts, trees and other public structures. That is why we are allowing them to set up temporary structures in designated Common Poster Areas for the exclusive purpose of displaying their campaign materials,” he added.

According to COMELEC Resolution No. 9615, parties and candidates may put up Common Poster Areas in every Barangay. “One (1) Common Poster Area is allowed in a Barangay with 5,000 registered voters or less. An additional CPA will be allowed for every increment of 5,000 voters,” said Jimenez.

Meanwhile, CPAs for political parties and partylist groups should not exceed the following dimensions, twelve (12) by sixteen (16) feet, or its equivalent but not exceeding a total area of 192 square feet.

For independent candidates, four (4) by six (6) feet or its equivalent but not exceeding a total area of twenty four (24) square feet.

COMELEC to go after erring Election Officers too

Jimenez, meanwhile, made assurances that the poll body will also call the attention of COMELEC Field Officials who fail to inform candidates and voters as to the location of designated Common Poster Areas.

“While the list of CPAs are posted outside local COMELEC Offices, Election Officers should also make an effort to ensure that the designated CPAs are known to the candidates and the public. Failure to do so shall make him liable for gross neglect of duty,” he said.  ###

DOWNLOAD Press Release >>>

“The public, most especially our lawmen, should be wary of fake gun ban permits,” said COMELEC Spokesman James Jimenez.

The poll body’s Gun Ban Committee, Jimenez said, discovered a spurious Certificate of Authority from its Committee on the Ban on Firearms and Security Personnel (CBFSP) when a person verified his from the COMELEC.

“Public should not fall prey to conmen who sell cheap gun ban exemptions,” said Jimenez who reiterated that carrying, bearing and transporting of firearms, ammunition and deadly weapons during the Election Period is an election offense punishable with one (1) to six (6) years imprisonment.

The COMELEC is currently coordinating with the law enforcement agencies regarding this matter, said Jimenez. ###

DOWNLOAD Press Release >>>

The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) today told all candidates vying for Senatorial and Partylist seats in the May 13, 2013 National and Local Elections to remove all prohibited election propaganda before the start of the campaign period.

The start of the campaign period for candidates for national positions will be on February 12, 2013. In the case of local candidates, the campaign period starts March 29, 2013.

COMELEC Chairman Sixto S. Brillantes Jr. cited Sec. 25 of COMELEC Resolution No. 9615 which provided the rules and regulations implementing Republic Act No. 9006 or the Fair Election Act in connection with the May 13, 2013 elections.

According to the aforementioned COMELEC Resolution: “All prohibited forms of election propaganda as described in Section 7 of these Rules shall be immediately removed, or caused to be removed, by said candidate or party before the start of the campaign period; otherwise, the said candidate or party shall be presumed to have committed the pertinent election offense during said campaign period for national candidates or for local candidates as the case may be.”

The prohibited forms of propaganda, the Resolution stated, include any names, images, logos, brands, insignias, color motifs, initials, and other forms of identifiable graphical representations placed by incumbent officials on any public structures or places.

COMELEC Resolution No. 9615 also stipulates that it is unlawful for candidates to post, display or exhibit election campaign or propaganda material outside of authorized common poster areas, in public places or in private properties without the consent of the owner.

Also prohibited are election propaganda posted in government vehicles, public utility vehicles such as buses, jeepneys, trains, taxi cabs, ferries, pedicabs and tricycles, whether motorized or not and within the premises of public terminals such as bus terminals, airports, seaports, docks, piers, train stations and the like.

“We are issuing this call to all candidates: Please remove all prohibited forms of election propaganda before the start of the campaign period. Failure to comply constitutes an election offense punishable by one to six years imprisonment, disqualification to hold public office and deprivation of the right of suffrage,” Brillantes said.

The COMELEC Chairman also reminded candidates to comply with the rules and regulations on the allowable airtime that a candidate may use for their broadcast advertisements or election propaganda.

“This will be strictly monitored through our Campaign Finance Unit,” he said.

DOWNLOAD Press Release >>>

Remove or else.

The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) today told all candidates vying for Senatorial and Partylist seats in the May 13, 2013 National and Local Elections to remove all prohibited election propaganda before the start of the campaign period.

The start of the campaign period for candidates for national positions will be on February 12, 2013. In the case of local candidates, the campaign period starts March 29, 2013.

COMELEC Chairman Sixto S. Brillantes Jr. cited Sec. 25 of COMELEC Resolution No. 9615 which provided the rules and regulations implementing Republic Act No. 9006 or the Fair Election Act in connection with the May 13, 2013 elections.

According to the aforementioned COMELEC Resolution: “All prohibited forms of election propaganda as described in Section 7 of these Rules shall be immediately removed, or caused to be removed, by said candidate or party before the start of the campaign period; otherwise, the said candidate or party shall be presumed to have committed the pertinent election offense during said campaign period for national candidates or for local candidates as the case may be.”

The prohibited forms of propaganda, the Resolution stated, include any names, images, logos, brands, insignias, color motifs, initials, and other forms of identifiable graphical representations placed by incumbent officials on any public structures or places.

COMELEC Resolution No. 9615 also stipulates that it is unlawful for candidates to post, display or exhibit election campaign or propaganda material outside of authorized common poster areas, in public places or in private properties without the consent of the owner.

Also prohibited are election propaganda posted in government vehicles, public utility vehicles such as buses, jeepneys, trains, taxi cabs, ferries, pedicabs and tricycles, whether motorized or not and within the premises of public terminals such as bus terminals, airports, seaports, docks, piers, train stations and the like.

“We are issuing this call to all candidates: Please remove all prohibited forms of election propaganda before the start of the campaign period. Failure to comply constitutes an election offense punishable by one to six years imprisonment, disqualification to hold public office and deprivation of the right of suffrage,” Brillantes said.

The COMELEC Chairman also reminded candidates to comply with the rules and regulations on the allowable airtime that a candidate may use for their broadcast advertisements or election propaganda.

“This will be strictly monitored through our Campaign Finance Unit,” he said.

DOWNLOAD Press Release >>>

“Due to inadvertence, thirteen (13) new applicants whose petitions for accreditation were denied by the Commission, but were able to secure Status Quo Ante Order, were included in the raffle… Said new applicants do not qualify to join the raffle for failure to obtain a mandatory Injunction from the Supreme Court in accordance with Resolution No. 9591,” said in COMELEC in Resolution No. 9604, promulgated January 7, 2013.

Resolution No. 9591 prescribed, among others, the party-list groups that shall be allowed to participate in the raffle for purposes of determining their order of listing in the official ballot.

The COMELEC thus ordered the exclusion of thirteen (13) partylist groups from the list those new applicants who were not able to secure mandatory Injunction, namely:

• AKO AN BISAYA PARTY (AAB)
• ALAGAD NG SINING (ASIN)
• ALAB NG MAMAMAHAYAG (ALAM)
• ASSOCIATION OF GUARD, UTILITY HELPER, AIDER, RIDER, DRIVER/DOMESTIC HELPER, JANITOR, AGENT, AND NANNY OF THE PHILIPPINES INC. (GUARDJAN)
• ABYAN ILONGGO
• ALLIANCE OR ORGANIZATIONS, NETWORKS AND ASSOCIATIONS OF THE PHILIPPINES INC. (ALONA)
• PARTIDO NG BAYAN AND BIDA (PBB)
• PILIPINAS PARA SA PINOY (PPP)
• 1 ALLIANCE ADVOCATING AUTONOMY PARTY (1AAAP)
• KALIKASAN PARTYLIST (KALIKASAN)
• AKBAY KALUSUGAN (AKIN)
• MANILA TEACHERS SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATION INC. (MANILA TEACHERS)
• ASSOCIATION OF LOCAL ATHLETICS ENTREPRENEURS AND HOBBYISTS INC. (ALA-EH)

The COMELEC in Resolution 9604 resolved to “RESERVE the slots left vacant by the excluded partylist groups for those groups who will be able to obtain Status Quo Ante Order or Mandatory Injunction, to be filled in as the Commission may deem fit.”

It also ruled to “EXCLUDE” their corresponding numbers from the list “in case they are not filled by other groups able to obtain a Status Quo Ante Order or Mandatory Injunction from the Supreme Court.”

DOWNLOAD Press Release >>>

In Resolution SPP No. 12-197, the COMELEC said the PPCRV has “established its track record as one of the Commission’s staunch allies in ensuring clean, orderly, peaceful and honest elections.”

“The Commission recognizes PPCRV as one of the organizations which has established its membership and structure all over the Philippines and has demonstrated its capacity to promote public interest,” it said.

As a result of its accreditation, the PPCRV, has the following duties:

• To conduct poll watching in various precincts
• To provide assistance to the voters on election day most especially to the senior citizens; persons with disabilities; pregnant women; detainees; indigenous peoples and other members of the vulnerable sectors
• To assist the Commission in voters’ information and education drives in every municipality, city and provinces most especially in far-flung areas and to sectors which experience inaccessibility in getting information from the Commission.

On the other hand, the COMELEC is duty-bound to furnish the PPCRV with the electronic copies of the Computerized Voters List and the Project of Precincts for the effective discharge of its responsibility. The Fourth (4^th) copy of the Election Returns printed by the PCOS Machine prior to transmission for the conduct of an unofficial count shall also be furnished to the PPCRV.

In its Petition for Accreditation, the PPCRV stated that it has a “mass based constituency composed of individuals of voting age and registered voters, with operating chapters based in the various parishes in provinces, cities and municipalities throughout the country, which carry out all orders, instructions and/or directives promulgated by the PPCRV’s National Executive Board (NEB). The Council’s membership has grown in number as shown in the 2010 Automated National and Local Elections where 657,000 PPCRV members and volunteers from 3,333 parishes nationwide participated in poll watching and election related activities.” ###

DOWNLOAD Press Release>>>

Speaking before members of the media, Chairman Brillantes said the COMELEC En Banc based its decision on the established track record of both Party-list groups.

He said those who voted in favor were Commissioners Christian Robert Lim; Elias Yusoph; Armando Velasco and Rene Sarmiento. Chairman Sixto Brillantes and Commissioner Lucenito Tagle dissented.

Meanwhile, Commissioner Maria Gracia Cielo Padaca took “no part” in the decision. ###

DOWNLOAD Press Release >>>

Incumbent Senator Aquilino Martin “Koko” de la Llana Pimentel was first to file, with his COC officially received by the COMELEC at exactly 8:08 AM.

He was followed by Independent candidates Anicio Escosura; Daniel Magtira; Aeric Bernardino; Melchor Chavez and Salam Tagean.

The first woman Senatorial aspirant to file her COC was Patrocino Cailing who declared that nobody nominated her and that her filing for candidacy was “voluntary.” Cailing filed her COC at 11:28 in the morning.

Next to file was Juanito Donato, a native of Pangasinan. He was followed by Lawyer Oliver Lozano who, along with Chavez, was officially nominated by the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL).

Candidates under the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) came in shortly after 1:00 PM. The UNA bets who filed their COCs were Juan Ponce Enrile Jr.; Gergorio Honasan; Juan Miguel Zubiri; Joseph Victor Ejercito; Ernesto Maceda; Richard Gordon; and Margarita Cojuanco.

The 18^th candidate who filed his COC was Merlito Lagata, from Sorsogon.

Senator Loren Legarda came in at 3:50PM. She was nominated by the Nationalist Peoples’ Coalition (NPC).

Remely Ajel of Isabela was last to file her COC.

The filing of COCs will run from October 1 – 5, 2012 during office hours (8:00 AM to 5:00PM). During this period voters’ registration is suspended. ###

DOWNLOAD Press Release >>>

The OAV Summit Group, composed of the Philippine Migrants Rights Watch (PMRW); Migrant NGO Forum; Filipino Migrant Workers Group; Ople Policy Institue and Training Center; Center for Migrant Advocacy and the ICOFVR-Hong Kong, also pledged to “work closely with the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Commission on Elections as well as all stakeholders to boost overseas voting registration in time for the 2013 national elections.”

“For the remaining weeks until October 31, the actual deadline for Overseas Absentee Registration, we enjoin all overseas Filipinos whether land-based or sea-based, temporary workers or permanent residents, to register and avail of their right to vote,” the group said in a statement.

According to the DFA, we have more than 249,391 new OAV registrants. When added to the stock total of 589,830 from the 2010 elections, the overall number of OAV registrants now reaches to a total of 839,221.

The OAV Summit Group maintains that this number “represents a potent source of votes particularly in a tight Senate and Party-List race.”

“But we can and shall do better,” it added.

“We believe that the right of every overseas worker to register and vote is sacred, and all efforts must be undertaken to facilitate a more inclusive and convenient process of registration and voting given the physical and financial hurdles that an OFW must face to be able to go to the nearest embassy or consulate in order to exercise his or her right of suffrage.” ###

DOWNLOAD Press Release >>>

In an award given on July 17, 2012 during the “34^th National Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation Week” Stakeholders Forum at the Occupational Safety Health Center in Quezon City; the NCDA, NCI and the PWAG said it would put the “accessibility seal” on the COMELEC’s website in recognition of the agency’s “commitment to use it as an empowering tool to ‘MAKE THE RIGHT TO INFORMATION REAL’ for persons with disabilities, towards equal access to socio-economic opportunities, called for in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN-CRPD).”

The award was received by Atty. Rexie May Magsano, in behalf of Commissioner Rene V. Sarmiento, champion and advocate of PWD voting rights.

According to COMELEC Information Technology Department Director Jeannie Flororita, the award recognizes the poll body’s effort to ensure access to information in the COMELEC website to anyone using the internet, even the visually impaired, through the use of ‘screen readers.’

DOWNLOAD Press Release >>>

According to Tagle, all outbound Filipinos – whether overseas Filipino workers or otherwise – inevitably end up at the immigration desk.  This indispensable stop on the Filipino’s departure from the Philippines thus becomes the ideal place for delivering information about the ongoing Overseas Absentee Voter registration process, Tagle explained.

“The COAV, in close partnership with the Bureau of Immigration, will be giving departing Filipinos, bound for abroad, flyers that remind them to register as overseas absentee voters,” Tagle said.  This will increase awareness among Filipinos about the possibility of voting in National Elections even while they abroad.

“If they know they can vote, then they will be interested to find out how and where to register,” Tagle added.

According to Mr. Benito G. Se, Acting Chief of the Bureau of Immigration, Airport Operations Division, the flyers will be distributed by Immigration Officers who will insert them into the passports of outgoing passengers.

The flyers will be initially distributed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1, beginning July 30, 2012.  Distribution of flyers at other international airports are scheduled to begin in August.  The registration period for Overseas Absentee Voting will end on October 31, 2012.

It is estimated that 4,500 overseas Filipino workers depart from the Philippines daily.

DOWNLOAD Press Release >>>