Premature campaigning
THE electorate would do well to heed the call of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and poll stakeholders not to support politicians engaged in premature campaigning.
The poll body and other stakeholders aired the call last Tuesday, June 29, three months before the filing of certificates of candidacy (COCs) for the May 9, 2022 national/local elections.
Under the Comelec calendar of activities for the forthcoming balloting, when the nation goes to the polls to elect President Duterte’s successor, the filing of COCs is set October 1-8.
But the campaign period for national candidates – President, Vice President, senators and party-list representatives – starts only on February 8 or 90 days before election day.
Local candidates, including district congressmen, governors, vice governors, board members, mayors and vice mayors, have 45 days to campaign, which begins March 25.
Comelec spokesperson Director James Jimenez urged the voters not to support candidates engaged in premature campaigning, adding “don’t vote for them. Don’t reward bad behavior.”
Anyway, he said: “We don’t have a shortage of good candidates. There are candidates who follow the rules.”
On the other hand, Eric Avila, secretary-general of the highly-influential National Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL), supported the call of the outspoken Comelec executive.
He agreed with the articulate Jimenez that the country’s electorate should never reward bad behavior, stressing that this is already a portent of things to come.
“If now, a particular candidate is taking advantage, what more if he/she is already in public office, where there’s a lot of temptations? We can already see a glimpse of the kind of integrity this person has,” Avila said.
As well-meaning Filipinos, let’s not tolerate premature campaigning. Those who persist in their “bad behavior” should be dealt with forcefully come May 9, 2022.
