Campaign Materials On Public Transport Should Not Be Allowed – Comelec

An official of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) expressed opposition to allow campaign materials on public utility vehicles (PUVs).

In a position paper on the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) for the Fair Elections Act submitted byComelec Commissioner Christian Robert Lim, he noted that political items placed on transportation facilities owned and controlled by the government must be considered as an election offense.

“The Omnibus Election Code must also be taken into account in maintaining the prohibition against the use of government property for election campaigning,” he said.

Lim noted that the Omnibus Election Code states that it is considered a prohibited act to use facilities owned and controlled by the government for an election campaign.

He explained his position at the public consultation on the draft IRR on the Fair Elections Act for the May 2016 polls on Monday.

Earlier, the Land Transportation and Franchising Board (LTFRB) adopted the Supreme Court (SC) ruling that nullified a Comelec resolution prohibiting political ads in PUVs.

In its draft IRR, the poll body has deleted the provision that forbids campaign materials “within the premises of public transport terminals, such as bus terminals, airports, seaports, docks, piers, train stations”.

Lim also recommended that the ban should also be imposed on the enumerated public transport terminals that are owned and controlled by the government.

At the same time, the poll body official believes that the SC ruling on the petition of 1-UTAK only concerns public transport terminals that are privately-owned.

“Hence it is proposed that (prohibition remains) but with clarification that the transport terminals, bus terminals, airports, seaports, docks, piers, and train stations referred are those that are owned and controlled by the government,” Lim added. (PNA) FPV/FGP/EDS