Comelec bares poll rules, activities, prohibited acts

PNP, AFP set checkpoints; search rules defined 

By Daniel B. Codamon and Joseph Zambrano

The Commission on Elections has set activities and defined prohibited acts for the May national and local election to ensure orderly, peaceful, clean and credible polls even as the Philippine National Police have started to set up checkpoints nationwide to stop or avert violence.

This, as the new sets of vote counting machines for the 2016 election are undergoing extensive testing .in time for voters education roadshow in major cities nationwide.

Comelec Commissioner Louie Tito Guiabared in Baguio City that since October last year, the poll body, political parties and non-government organizations have been reviewing and testing the new vote counting machines.

This will go on for seven months to ensure that the machines will function efficiently properly   from counting to transmission, he said.

With these preparations, Comelec officials said election period started Jan. 10 to end June 8. Prohibited acts include transfer officers and employees in the civil service under the Omnibus Election Code including the bearing, carrying or transporting firearms or other deadly weapons unless authorized in writing by the Commission on Election.

It is also prohibited during this period the use of security personnel or bodyguards by candidates unless authorized by the Comelec.

Likewise the organization or maintenance of reaction forces, strike forces or other similar forces and the suspension of elective local officials is prohibited.

Certified list of voters will be posted on Feb. 9.

Feb. 9 to May 7, 2016 will be the campaign period for candidates for President, Vice President, and Senator and Party-list groups participating in the party-list system of representation.

 From Feb. 9 to May 9, giving of donations or gifts in cash or in kind including the appointment or use of special policemen, confidential agents and the like are prohibited.

March 7 will be the last day to file application to avail of local absentee voting and on March 10 is the last day for the Committee on Local Absentee Voting (CLAV) to receive application forms for local absentee voting.

From March 25 to May 7, 2016 will be the campaign period for candidates for Members of the House of Representatives and elective regional, provincial, city and municipal officials.

Campaigning is prohibited on March 24 and March 25 which is Holy Thursday and Good Friday respectively.

From March 25 to May 8, it is unlawful for the appointment or hiring of new employees, creation or filling up of new positions, promotion or giving of salary increases, remuneration or privileges including the construction of public works, delivery of materials for public works and issuance of treasury warrants or similar devises for a future undertaking chargeable against public funds and the release, disbursement or expenditures of public funds.

April 9 to May 9, will be casting of votes by overseas workers and campaigning abroad is prohibited. April 15 is the last day to verify whether the applicant for local absentee voting is eligible to vote as local absentee voter.

May 2 to May 6, will be the testing and sealing of the OMRs or VCMs.

In Lagawe, Ifugao, Comelec Elections supervisor and lawyer Ricardo Bulintao said on the eve of May 8, 2016 until the Election Day on May 9, campaigning is prohibited. Likewise the selling, furnishing, offering, buying, serving or taking intoxicating liquor and the giving, accepting, free transportation, food or drinks or things of value.

May 9, is the Election Day for the casting of votes and thereafter the counting and consolidation of votes.

Also prohibited on May 9 are voting more than once or in substitution of another, soliciting votes or undertaking any propaganda for or against any candidate or any political party within the polling place or within 30 meters thereof, opening of booths or stalls for the sale of merchandise or refreshments within a radius of 30 meters from the polling place and the holding of fairs, cockfights, boxing, horse racing or any form of gambling.

May 13 to May 15 will be the canvass of the results and proclamation of the winners for Senatorial, congressional, party-list, regional and provincial elections.

Checkpoints set up

In the Cordillera, the Philippine National Police and Armed Forces of the Philippines set up checkpoints under Comelec supervision as part of security precautions for the May polls.

Comelec checkpoints manned by local police are set up in every city and town to implement the gun ban which took effect last January 10 until June 8 and to prevent election-related violence.

Chief Supt. Ulysses Abellera, Cordillera police director, said only visual search of the vehicle is allowed at the checkpoints. The officer on duty simply looks into the vehicle and flashes light without opening the car’s door.

During the election period, the law provides that no person shall bear, carry or transport firearms or other deadly weapons in public places, including any building, street, park, private vehicle or public conveyance, even if licensed to possess or carry the same, unless authorized in writing by the Comelec.

Abellera said bra will be the main focus of the police with its history of violence especially during elections.

“We have lined up several activities for voters education and peace forum   in Abra to end the culture of violence”, Abellera said. “These will be done in cooperation with the various government offices and the private sectors to advocate the peace movement to achieve a zero casualty during the election period in the province.

He added that the police will be ready to prevent election related incidents like ballot snatching which occurred in the last elections in other provinces.” 

Transparent elections

This, as Guia said, to make the election more transparent, the Comelec had been been engaging various stakeholders from the source code review – basic program or code that will be telling the machines what to do; the loading of names of candidates to align it to the election management system up to the customizing of the code to make sure the machines are configured to count the way it should”, Guia said.

After the testing and review, Comelec will go to various parts of the country for a voters education roadshow on the vote counting machines.

“We will be more active in engaging the public and the media for an information and education about the system.  What we want to happen is for the public to actively engage and involve in the process,” Guia said.

He said there are over 95,000 new vote counting machines that can cover all the voting precincts in the country plus reserves for contingency measure. He assured that these machines are newer version and with added features compared to those used in the last automated election.

Guia was in Baguio last week for the launching of the Comelec – Baguio initiated Voter Care Center, the first specialized telephone hotline and action desk set –up for the May 9, 2016 election.