THE other day we heard an official of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) in Davao City virtually pleading to political candidates and their leaders to please respect and follow election regulations governing the placement and/or posting of campaign paraphernalia.
The plea – not a threat of suit so far – was made by the agency after admitting that the poll body appears to be helpless in having that aspect of the election law followed by the candidates or their parties. The official said in that interview that despite their agency’s efforts to have those illegal campaign materials detached or taken down from where these are installed, the Commission just does not have the manpower to stop the violators of their illegal activities.
We commiserate with the fate of the COMELEC. Yes, even if its people or the composite teams that are working for the agency to attain the purpose of their mandate the group or groups are no match to the substantially paid workers, campaigners and avid supporters of the candidates.
Indeed the violation of the COMELEC rules is blatant to the point that the candidates are actually making a mockery of the law. So arrogant are the candidates or parties that they are flaunting their intentional infraction by placing their over-sized campaign posters, bill boards and the like even in such conspicuous public places as the C.P. Garcia National highway a few meters away from its Ma-a junction. A candidate for councilor of the first district has his bill boards remaining in place by the road side. And a few meters away are another oversized campaign aids of a Partylist group virtually occupying the front portion of a fence of a stock yard for vehicles of a local distributor of a famous automobile brand. Also, somewhere along the relief road leading to San Rafael Village, exceedingly over-sized tarpaulins bearing the pictures of candidates for national positions virtually cover the façade of a building. Of course we have no doubt that the structure owners or managers could be diehard followers of the candidates for one reason or another. Hence, it is within the ambit of the exemptions to the rules on privately-owned properties used as hosts to campaign materials. But there is no arguing about the disregard by the candidates or supporters of the allowable size of the campaign bill boards or similar campaign items.
We are aware that these illegally placed and/or purposely over-sized campaign materials are already insulting to the election body even as these are emphasizing that the election campaign regulations can easily be disregarded and the entire system openly mocked by scheming politicians.
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Now the cat is out of the bag. That is, as far as the political campaign situation in Davao City’s 2nd congressional district is concerned. And seemingly the silent manipulation is more evident in the congressional race.
The other day aspirant for congressman Danny Dayanghirang posted on Facebook his disdain for what he insinuated as harassment undertaken by a barangay official who is a known supporter of his rival Congressman Vincent Garcia.
According to Danny’s post a group of his supporters are conducting Zumba sessions which it uses as a way of recruiting more adherents to the councilor for his bid to challenge Vincent. Unfortunately, according to the aspirant’s post, during their latest session a barangay executive barred those Zumba invitees from leaving their residences to join the Zumba. But the outgoing councilor and congressional candidate added he was happy that those asked to stay in their houses managed to get out unnoticed by the barangay official and her subalterns.
Danny Dayanghirang is appealing to his adversaries to be reminded of the instruction of President Rodrigo Duterte and his daughter Mayor Inday Sara to just allow the voters of the second district to make their own choices of candidates and not prevent them from expressing their preference to anyone.
Good guy this Danny for maintaining his cool.
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We had our grievous fault in a previous column when we mentioned about Ruy Elias Lopez having served the third Congressional district as its Representative for one (1) term only. We got a call from his office advising us of our wrong information. We admit that it was indeed a mistake on our part. We were deceived by our own recollection. So we are correcting it now because we believe that with Ruy having served an additional two terms in Congress would give Davao City voters better basis in deciding whether the former Congressman and work horse of his father in the same office before he himself became a lawmaker, can be a better alternative to become the next Mayor of Davao City.
We hope that whatever things he had done during those six more years in Congress Ruy Lopez has incorporated them in his leaflets and all other campaign materials so the people may know. The measures he introduced during his 2 more terms will surely be of great help to the voters’ making their final choice.
For comments and/or reactions we can be reached through our e-mail address at: victorino.sumalinog@yahoo.com; Mobile No. 09392980436; and Landline No. 2372169.
