Solon joins call to scrap Comelec campaign permit system
A party-list group appealed to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to further review and eventually scrap the “cumbersome” campaign permit system.
According to the Gabriela Party-list, the ruling from the Comelec curtails the freedom of speech and freedom of assembly.
The group stressed that the current IATF guidelines would suffice in enforcing health protocols in election-related activities.
Under Comelec Resolution No. 10732, in-person campaigning and motorcades must secure a permit from Comelec offices and from local government units. Notarized compliance reports must also be submitted after each campaign activity.
“In seeking to regulate campaign activities, Comelec is dangerously treading on regulations of free speech and free assembly which occupy a preferred spot in the hierarchy of civil liberties
“IATF guidelines are already in place to ensure mobility restrictions and health protocols. Tingin namin ay makakasapat na ito. Hindi na kailangan ng campaign permit system,” Gabriela Party-list Representative Arlene Brosas said.
She added that the campaign permit system “distorts” the already skewed playing field.
“For a candidate with meager resources and small machinery, these bureaucratic requirements erode the already slim chances of reaching potential voters,” Brosas said.
Gabriela Party-list noted that LGUs and local Comelec offices have varying interpretations of Comelec Resolution 10732, highlighting the arbitrary and vague nature of the campaign requirements.
