Poll body tells politicians to behave

THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) mandated every politician to behave during the campaign period.

Lawyer Reddy Balarbar of the Comelec–Cordillera said politicians should follow the policies of the agency on the posting and distributing of campaign materials.

He revealed campaign posters must be measured 2ft x 3ft while the leaflets should be 81/2 inches x 14 inches as provided under the Comelec Resolution 9615.

He said that oversized posters and leaflets and posting in public vehicles like buses, jeepneys, tricycles, and cabs are not allowed, adding that posting campaign materials on trees, electric posts, telephone cables, and other places which are not common poster areas is also prohibited.

However, he said, that posting on private vehicles is allowed.

He said offering any amount of cash, known as “vote-buying,” to people during campaign period is banned, too.

The campaign period for national candidates started last February 12 until May 11, while the local candidates will still start their campaign on March 29.

National candidates were given 90 days while 45 days were allotted for local candidates to campaign.

Politicians are prohibited to campaign on March 28 (Maundy Thursday), March 29 (Good Friday), May 12 (eve of Election Day), and May 13 (Election Day).

Balarbar said there are 924,751-registered voters in Cordillera, adding that there are 1,359 voting centers with 1,828 clustered precincts in the region.

Benguet has the highest number of registered voters with 343,261 followed by Abra with 155,643 and Baguio City has 146,230 voters. Apayao has 66,283 while Kalinga has 143,373, Ifugao with 108,080 and Mt. Province with 108,111 registered voters.