PASAWAY. Bacolod City Election Registrar Mavil Majarucon-Sia asked voters on Tuesday (May 8, 2018) not to elect candidates who are 'pasaway' (stubborn) as they violate poll rules. (Photo by Nanette L. Guadalquiver)
BACOLOD CITY -- The city election registrar here has called on voters to reject barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan candidates who violate the rules set by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
Mavil Majarucon-Sia made the call on Tuesday afternoon as she confirmed that teams from her office have observed a number of violations, especially on the use of designated common poster areas.
They should not vote for candidates who are “pasaway (stubborn),” Majarucon-Sia said.
She said that if these candidates already violate rules while they are seeking elective posts, “they could even be more ‘pasaway’ when they are already in power.”
Majarucon-Sia said she has assigned personnel to go around the city to check if candidates comply with the rule on putting up posters only in designated common areas.
“We go around but we don’t take down campaign posters because we lack manpower to do that. What we do is monitoring,” she said.
The election official said that when they see a blatant violation, they take photos and send them to the Law Department of the Comelec Central Office.
As of Wednesday, Majarucon-Sia said they have inspected common poster areas in 18 barangays, and found violations in half of these.
She noted that what is really prohibited is the mounting of campaign posters on electrical posts and trees, an election offense that can result in their perpetual disqualification from public office.
The Comelec has identified at least 92 common poster areas in this city’s 61 barangays for the May 14 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections.
Under the election rules, a common poster area is designated for every 5,000 registered voters in a particular barangay.
The identified poster areas are barangay halls, gymnasiums, street corners or entrances, basketball courts, open spaces, vacant lots, and roadsides. (PNA)
