MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is giving national candidates a “grace period” of until Thursday, February 14, to remove their illegal posters, or they could be held liable for election offenses.   

At the Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum on Wednesday, February 13, Jimenez noted efforts by candidates “to comply with the rules and reminders of the Comelec, which we appreciate.”

“That’s why we’re giving the candidates a grace period of about 3 days, which will expire on Thursday, to take down the materials that they already have out,” Jimenez said.

Then on Friday, February 15, “several teams from the Comelec will be documenting materials that are still out, that are still in place, and once we’ve completed our documentation, that’s when we will start taking legal action against those violations.” 

The Comelec is revving up its drive against illegal posters as the campaign period for senatorial bets and party-list groups officially began on Tuesday, February 12. (READ: What to expect as the 2019 campaign period for national bets begins)

Sparing no one, the Comelec on Tuesday called out two senatorial candidates, among others – President Rodrigo Duterte’s longtime aide Bong Go and leading opposition bet Mar Roxas – for their illegal posters.

Comelec ‘very hopeful’ of success

Based on the Omnibus Election Code, those who commit an election offense can be punished by one to 6 years in prison, disqualification from holding public office, and deprivation of the right to vote. 

The Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum host, journalist Marichu Villanueva, however pointed out that the Comelec “has no track record of having convicted or even punished or even penalized any candidate who supposedly committed” violations when it comes to campaign materials.

Jimenez responded by saying it is wrong to cheer on violators by telling the Comelec, “Hindi ‘nyo naman kaya (You cannot do it).” He also said the Comelec has had its own successes against overspending, vote buying, and intimidation of voters.

Jimenez said it “is very difficult to build a case against certain offenses,” but “as technology evolves,” it becomes easier for the Comelec to clamp down on violators. 

“Now the public is responding very well to our calls for documentation,” Jimenez said, referring to the Comelec’s crowdsourcing of reports on illegal posters. “We are very hopeful that this time we will be successful.” 

Jimenez said citizens can report illegal posters through talktocomelec@gmail.com, facebook.com/comelecph on Facebook, comelectv on Instagram, and @comelec on Twitter.

The Comelec encourages citizens to report these on social media using the hashtag #SumbongSaComelec. – Rappler.com