DAVAO CITY — Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) candidates should not only ensure their victory in this year’s elections but they must follow campaign rules otherwise they could be unseated for poll violations.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) in the Davao Region issued this warning as it continues to record violations committed by barangay and SK candidates, especially on posting of propaganda materials and to remain non-partisan which are just among the election offenses.
Lawyer Krisna Samantha Caballero, Comelec 11 spokesperson, said many candidates have been noticed posting campaign materials in non-designated poster areas in Davao.
Others violated the prescribed size of the posters. Caballero said Comelec has been conducting “Operation Baklas” randomly and discreetly.
In fact, she said Comelec’s storage area is already full of election propaganda materials torn down from non-common poster areas.
“Our Operation Baklas is ongoing,” she said during the AFP-PNP Press Corps briefing on Wednesday at the Royal Mandaya Hotel.
Caballero said Comelec will address all election offenses and file cases against violators after the election. She, however, assured that everything will go through due process.
On the other hand, Julius Gutierrez, the head of the National Youth Commission (NYC) in Davao, reminded candidates that a father-mother and son-daughter tandem running for barangay chairman and SK chairman, respectively, is allowed.
However, he said that in case a parent wins as barangay chairman and child wins as SK chairman, only one is allowed to take up the position. He stressed that under the law no two members of the family or up to the second degree of affinity is allowed to sit as barangay chairman and SK chairman.
Gutierrez pointed out that an SK chairman is an ex-officio member of the barangay council.
Gutierrez gave this clarification on the heels of reports that some posters bear the tandem of father and son for chairman and SK chairman, respectively.
Meanwhile, Caballero said Comelec is 90 percent ready for the May 14 barangay elections. Comelec’s briefing for the Board of Election Inspectors is ongoing. She said Davao Region has 3,775,533 registered voters, of whom, 1,223,575 are in Davao City. (Lilian C. Mellejor/PNA)
