By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos | Philippine News Agency
The government will not allow incumbent government officials to use state resources during the 2025 midterm elections, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said Tuesday.
“There are no sacred cows in this government. Anyone and everyone who is guilty will be met with the same force of the law,” Remulla said in a Palace press briefing, when asked to react to the Legal Network for Truthful Elections’ (LENTE) warning about the alleged abuses committed by public officials who have access to government facilities and resources for their personal campaign.
Remulla advised concerned individuals to file a complaint against the erring government official before the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
“[Concerned individuals] can always file a complaint with the Comelec. Titingnan kung may violation. Pero ang safeguard talaga niyan, dapat [manggaling sa] Comelec,” he said.
LENTE monitors the abuse of state resources by incumbent political parties and candidates in the Philippines.
The abuses include misuse of government resources, whether material, human, coercive, regulatory, budgetary, media-related, or legislative, for electoral advantage.
Remulla assured the public that the government is “very strict” when it comes to implementing the election ban.
The midterm elections are set on May 12, 2025.
Under Resolution 10999 released by the Comelec en banc in May this year, the election period will be from Jan. 12 to June 11, 2025.
The 90-day campaign period for the senatorial and party-list seats will start from Feb. 11 until May 10, 2025 while the 45-day campaign period for local candidates will run from March 28 to May 10, 2025.