BACOLOD City Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez opposes the Commission on Elections (Comelec) resolution allowing barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) officials, as well as job order (JO) and contract of service (COS) workers in the government, to participate in campaign activities for the May 12, 2025 elections.
“I’m not in favor of it because the City [is] paying them to work, it’s the City’s fund,” Benitez said.
He said he will not allow the JO or COS at the Bacolod City Government Center (BCGC) to join in the campaign activities of the local bets that will start on Friday, March 28.
“I will not follow the said order. I will still ask all the JO or COS to stay away from campaigning because they were paid by the City and they should not be used by the politicians,” he added.
The Comelec Minute Resolution 24-1001 states that the poll body resolves to exclude elected barangay and SK officials from the coverage of the prohibition against intervention in any election campaign or engagement in partisan political activities.
The poll body also excludes JO and COS workers in the government from the prohibition of participating in any partisan political activities or election campaign under the Article IX-B, Section 2(4) of the 1987 Constitution, Section 261(i) of the Omnibus Election Code (OEC).
The Comelec said the prohibition in Section 261 (i) of the OEC and Article IX-B, Section 2(4) are notably silent on the application thereof to non-civil service personnel, such as those engaged under JO and COS.
But it said the exemption should be without prejudice to the liability of any person who would use under any guise whatsoever, directly or indirectly, public funds or money to employ JO and COS workers for the purpose of any election campaign or partisan political activity. /MAP