THE deadline for the filing of statements of contributions and expenditures (Soce) should come also with an ultimatum for election candidates to remove their posters and tarpaulins.
A month after the May 13, 2019 polls, the streets are still marked by the dirty, torn posters and tarps on fences and walls. What is the deadline for them, those whose names and faces are seen on fences, to remove their posters and tarps? None.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has a deadline for the filing of Soce by winning and losing candidates. That deadline was originally set for June 12 but, because it is Philippine Independence Day, a holiday, it was moved to June 13. The postponement gives candidates one day more to comply.
The Comelec has no deadline for the removal of all those campaign materials that remained even a month after the exercise. What the Comelec has is a rule on the removal of illegal campaign materials that go beyond the size limitations or those posted outside the designated areas. “Operation Baklas” was held to remove or dismantle those illegal posters and tarpaulins. This deadline was for the start of the campaign period.
Immediately after the elections, the cleanup focused on removing those piles of sample ballots and leaflets in every voting center but the effort was not sustained or expanded to include the walls not only of schools but also of other areas. Let candidates remove their dirt by the time they file their Soce.
As candidates were not given a deadline to remove the eyesore, an alternative is for the Comelec to assign, as part of its powers, the local government unit or the Department of Public Works and Highways or Department of Education to do a cleanup because candidates are unreliable when it comes to removing campaign materials after the elections.
Create a new deadline. By the time they filed their Soce, they should have already removed all their materials. Those who failed to meet the deadline should not be allowed to assume the post.
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Based on the Soce of early filers, one thing that stood out was an item on the use of social media. Such expense item was not present or dominant in past electoral exercises. This time, most candidates used social media to push their platform and gain awareness.
Incoming Cebu fifth district congressman Vincent Franco “Duke” Frasco was the first among the Cebu candidates to file his Soce. He declared to the Comelec a total Facebook billing for P139,631.84 for his campaign on social media through his page, “Duke Frasco Liloan.” This was his third biggest expenditure. His biggest chunk of expenses was for paying his campaigners at P264,500, followed by media promotions in newspapers, radio, television and internet ad placements at P247,042.44.
This new expense item shows how the game is changing because how the message gets delivered is changing.