ILOILO – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) in the province of Antique warned barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) election candidates against premature campaigning.
Atty. Salud Milagros Villanueva, provincial election supervisor, said violators face not only disqualification but also imprisonment.
Antique, composed of 590 barangays and 18 municipalities, has 20,789 candidates for the October polls.
Of this, 1,427 are running for punong barangays, 10,986 for barangay kagawads, 1,336 for SK chairpersons, and 7,060 for SK kagawads.
Villanueva urged Antiqueños to report premature campaigning or candidates that violate any part of the Election Code to their respective municipal election offices.
Comelec recently issued show cause orders to at least 90 BSKE aspirants across the country for premature campaigning, just over a week after the close of the filing of certificates of candidacy.
Based on the Comelec schedule of activities, the campaign period is from Oct. 19 to 28.
“When you’re already a candidate, any attempt to promote oneself is considered premature campaigning,” Comelec chairperson George Garcia said during the Committee on Kontra Bigay launch on Friday, Sept. 8.
Among those who were ordered to explain were candidates from a barangay in Quezon City distributing loaf bread, medicine kits, appliances, sacks of rice, and ingredients for pancit. The items had the names and faces of the candidates on them.
Under Section 80 of the Election Code, a candidate is forbidden from campaigning or engaging in partisan political activity outside the campaign period.
Also considered premature campaigning is posting photos or campaign materials on different social media sites by the candidates or their supporters. (With reports from Radyo Bandera Antique and Rappler)/PN