Archive - Vote 2013

By MIKHA FLORES GOVERNMENT projects using pork barrel funds will be allowed during the campaign period, but will be subject to stringent rules, the Commission on Elections said on Friday. The poll body said it will allow projects using the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) during the 45-day ban on public works spending and campaign period

By MIKHA FLORES VOTING precincts with less than a hundred voters will be regrouped into one clustered precinct to maximize the Commission on Election’s use of its manpower, money and equipment in the May 13 elections. Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. said Thursday they have “re-clustered” the precincts because of the increase in the number of registered

GOVERNMENT officials and media workers who will serve on Election Day have been given until April 2 to register for local absentee voting (LAV). Commission on Elections Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. announced Thursday they have extended the deadline for applying for LAV from March 15 for government officials and March 31 for media workers. Read More

IF the recent list of poster violations issued by the Commission on Elections is any indication, it seems that Team PNoy candidates are finding it difficult to tread daang matuwid, the right path. All 12 senatoriables in the administration ticket violated the common poster area rule laid down in the Fair Election Act, with two of them,

By MIKHA FLORES CANDIDATES for councilor in Bacoor City, Cavite have asked the Commission on Elections to correct errors in the ballots after the found their names placed in the wrong districts. Twelve local candidates from the Lakas Christian Muslim Democrats went to Comelec Wednesday asking the poll body to correct the errors they found

By MIKHA FLORES CHAIRMAN Sixto Brillantes Jr. said the Commission on Elections will take no action on the case of Lucy Torres-Gomez, who was unseated by the Supreme Court as representative of the fourth district of Leyte, and said her case was different from that of Imus, Cavite mayor Emmanuel Maliksi. The high court on

By MIKHA FLORES WITH recent Supreme Court decisions allowing the use of digital images in protest cases, the Commission on Elections will be streamlining the rules and procedures in handling protests after the May 13 elections. Comelec Chair Sixto Brillantes Jr. said Wednesday he started drafting new rules around two months ago and is still waiting

By MIKHA FLORES THE Commission on Elections on Tuesday named the administration Liberal Party (LP) as the dominant majority party and the opposition United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) as the dominant minority party in the May 13 elections. The two are entitled to get original copies of election returns and copies of electronically transmitted precinct results. Their

BONGAO, Tawi-Tawi— With the arrival of evacuees from Sabah less than two months before elections, local chief executives in this province are urging fellow politicians to prioritize the hundreds of displaced individuals to “political aspirations.”

By MIKHA FLORES THE Commission on Elections has ordered Mayor Emmanuel Maliksi of Imus, Cavite to vacate his office after serving him a writ of execution following a Supreme Court decision declaring his rival, Homer Saquilayan, as the real winner in the May 2010 elections. The writ dated March 15 but only served Monday, asked Maliksi

By MIKHA FLORES A Comelec official cautioned candidates Monday that appearing as guests in entertainment shows will be counted against their airtime limits. James Jimenez, chief of the election commission’s Education and Information Department said appearances are not prohibited but “there will be implications” on their time limit. “It’s not just a possibility, it’s a

By MIKHA FLORES REQUIRING candidates to regularly submit their statements of election contributions and expenses (SECE) during the campaign period will be an added burden for the Commission on Elections, Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. said Friday. “Maganda sana iyon pero ang laking abala pa sa amin (It is a good idea but it’s an added burden on

By MIKHA FLORES THE National Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL), one of the accredited citizens’ arms in the May 13 polls, has suggested a regular submission by candidates of  their statements of contributions and expenses during the campaign period, instead of filing only once after the elections. This is to avoid a situation where candidates

By MIKHA FLORES THE Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV)  has distanced itself from the position taken by its chairman on the issue of the ‘Conscience Vote’ tarpaulin in Bacolod. Former Ambassador Henrietta ‘Tita’ De Villa believes the Diocese of Bacolod has the right to freedom of expression and is not violating any law by

By MIKHA FLORES THE Commission on Elections has listed 75 poster violations one month after the campaign period for candidates for senator and party-list groups started on Feb 12. Comelec’s Law Department sent out 38 notices to 22 senatorial candidates and 36 notices to 21 party-lists. The poll body also sent a separate notice to Bishop

By MIKHA FLORES THE cancellation hearing of three party-list groups set for Friday will send the message that the Commission on Elections is strict in enforcing the rules on campaigning and serve as warning to local candidates ahead of the start of the campaign period in less than three weeks. Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. said

By MIKHA FLORES COMMISSION on Elections Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr on Monday asked President Benigno Aquino III to immediately name the replacements for the two appointees who declined their appointment as commissioners, saying the vacancies are a taking a toll on the poll body’s early resolution of election cases. Aquino appointed former Justice Undersecretary Macabangkit Lanto

By MIKHA FLORES THE Commission on Elections has set for Monday its final meeting with Dominion Voting Systems after it failed anew to persuade the company to release the source code for the automated machines to be used in the May 13 elections. Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes was supposed to announce Friday whether Dominion’s source code