Archive - Vote 2013

Text and Video by AMIEL MARK CAGAYAN KIDAPAWAN CITY—A young Manobo man has found a way to make sure candidates keep their campaign promises: He plans to record political rallies on video, and show it to them when they get elected into office.

By JONATHAN DE SANTOS THE administration coalition Team PNoy asked the public for leeway over a social media campaign launched by senatorial candidate Maria Ana Consuelo Madrigal that election officials say may have violated the Omnibus Election Code. Team PNoy spokesman and Marikina Representative Miro Quimbo said at a press conference Wednesday there are still

By MIKHA FLORES TWO men who offered to rig local election results in a town in Mindanao in exchange for money were arrested in an entrapment operation by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), the poll body said on Tuesday. Hadji Omar Masiding and Sultan Pundatoon Bagul were entrapped in an operation in a hotel in

By MIKHA FLORES AN administration senatorial candidate is in hot water for possible violation of election campaign rules after the poll body found the candidate’s social media accounts offering a prize for online followers. Commission on Elections Chairman Sixto Brillantes said the candidate was offering a free iPad to netizens in violation of the Omnibus

By MIKHA FLORES COMMISSION on Elections (Comelec) employees have asked President Benigno Aquino III to designate lawyer Alexander Pilotin, a field officer of the poll body in Cagayan Valley, as Commissioner, saying his appointment will advance the interest of the rank and file. Pilotin is concurrently Regional Election Attorney for Cagayan and Election Officer of

By KRIZIA ARCANGEL EVERY election season, candidates running for various electoral posts hire composers to come up with jingles for their campaign. Jingles with a catchy melody can help voters easily remember a politician’s name. Lloyd Luna, a composer who has written campaign jingles for candidates in previous elections, says that a well-written song can

By MIKHA FLORES PRINTING operators and Commission on Election employees arrived early at the National Printing Office  (NPO) Monday for the printing of ballots that will be used in the May polls. However, they were mostly idle as the morning wait stretched into late afternoon when a single sheet was yet to be inked. Commission on

By MIKHA FLORES THE discrepancies between the machine count and the random manual audit (RMA) in the mock elections held Saturday at the University of the Philippines Integrated School (UPIS) exceeded the threshold set by the Commission on Elections. Elections Commissioner Christian Robert Lim said 15 mismatches—13 in the senatorial candidates—were listed in the tally

By MIKHA FLORES DESPITE opposition from media groups for being unconstitutional, the right to reply provision in the fair election rules will likely stay, Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. said Friday. “Hindi namin tatanggalin ang right to reply. In fact, ine-expand nga namin to protect the media people (We will not remove the right to reply.

By MIKHA FLORES THE Commission on Elections does not have enough people to monitor poll violations on the ground, so it is turning to the public to help them go after erring politicians. Elections Commissioner Christian Robert Lim, who heads Comelec’s Steering Committee on Campaign Finance, said the poll body only has two employees “on

WITH 4,300 armed members, the New People’s Army has been dubbed by police as the country’s “largest organized private armed group.” During elections, the communist insurgents make their presence felt when they go around collecting fees from candidates, primarily those vying for local positions, in exchange for permits to campaign (PTC) and permits to win

By MIKHA FLORES UNLESS you want to spend the next six to 12 years in prison, beware of fake gun ban exemption certifications. Commission on Elections Commissioner Elias Yusoph has cautioned the public of fraudulent gun ban exemption certifications that are currently circulating. Yusoph, Chair of the 2013 Committee on the Ban on Firearms and

By MIKHA FLORES A candidate may invoke his right to reply over a news report published or aired against him, but he may not be given a chance to reply, a Commission on Elections official said. Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said the right to reply, although provided for in the Fair Elections Act and its

By MIKHA FLORES TELEVISION and radio networks need not secure a permit from the Commission on Elections for candidates to appear in their programs. Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. said Tuesday Comelec plans to come out with a resolution clarifying a provision in the Fair Elections Act requiring broadcast stations or entities to secure an approval

By MIKHA FLORES THE days of “epal” politicians may soon be over; at least that’s what the Commission on Elections rule on campaigning says. Comelec Chair Sixto Brillantes Jr. said Monday “anti-epal” provisions are in place to clear the streets of posters and materials bearing the names of politicians in public places. “Epal” politicians or

By MIKHA FLORES AN official of the Armed Forces of the Philippines wants the Commission on Elections to allow police or military escorts for candidates in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao. Lt. Gen. Rey Ardo, commanding general of the Western Mindanao Command (Wesmincom), asked Comelec to reconsider a provision allowing only incumbent governors and

CANDIDATES for national positions can officially start campaigning in February and those for local offices in March. How can citizens spot violations during this period? This quick guide compiled by Mikha Flores lists some of them.

By MIKHA FLORES MORE than 238,000 Overseas Absentee Voters (OAV) will be removed from the voters’ list after failing to vote in the last two elections. Commission on Elections Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. said Friday only 29 of the 238,557 OAVs who were “deactivated” from the list manifested their intent to vote in 2013. The

By MIKHA FLORES THE padlocks used to protect ballot boxes in past elections will now be replaced with plastic security seals. The Commission on Elections is also doing away with thumb prints to save on queuing time and to avoid ballot smudges. Comelec  Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. said Friday the padlocks are “too expensive, too heavy

By MIKHA FLORES WHEN the Commission on Elections awarded Smartmatic the contract to supply compact flash (CF) Cards for the coming May elections, it did not consider the technical glitches in 2010 that nearly botched the first nationwide automated elections. Lawyer Helen Aguila-Flores, chairperson of the Special Bids and Awards Committee (SBAC), said Thursday the

What is a contribution? “Contribution” includes a gift, donation, subscription, loan, advance or deposit of money or anything of value, or a contract, promise or agreement to contribute, whether or not legally enforceable, made for the purpose of influencing the results of the elections but shall not include services rendered without compensation by individuals volunteering

  By MIKHA FLORES STATEMENTS filed by candidates with the Commission on Elections in the past elections declaring the money they had supposedly raised and spent on their campaign used to, like the song goes, “just lie there and die there.” Not anymore.  At least that’s what the Comelec vows in a resolution it adopted

CONVICTED child rapist Romeo Jalosjos can’t run for mayor of Zamboanga City this May.  Neither can his brother Dominador, who had been convicted of robbery, vie for the governorship of Zamboanga del Sur. The Commission on Elections on Tuesday ordered the cancellation of the certificates of candidacy of the siblings after the Supreme Court earlier

By MIKHA FLORES THE Commission on Elections is ready to disqualify candidates who violate the rules on campaigning, especially the posting of posters and other materials, as early as the first week of the campaign period. “Pag may nadisqualify kami on the first week, tingnan natin kung may magdidikit pa ng poster diyan. We have to