BSKE ASPIRANTS. Lawyer Gay Enumerables, assistant regional director of the Commission on Elections in Davao Region (Comelec-11), said in a press briefing in Davao City Monday (Sept. 4, 2023) that almost 48,000 aspirants of the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) have filed their Certificates of Candidates (COCs) from Aug. 28 to Sept. 2. The aspirants who filed their COCs for the Oct. 30 polls consisted of 2,932 candidates for barangay captain, 25,587 for Sangguniang Barangay (barangay councilor), 3,050 for Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) chairperson and 16,068 for SK members in Region 11’s 43 municipalities, and six cities. (PNA photo by Robinson Niñal Jr.)
DAVAO CITY – A total of 47,637 aspirants for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) filed their Certificates of Candidacies (COCs) from Aug. 28 to Sept. 2, the Commission on Elections in Davao Region (Comelec - 11) reported Monday.
In a press briefing, lawyer Gay Enumerables, Comelec-11 assistant director, said the aspirants in the Oct. 30 polls are eyeing positions in 1,162 villages in the region.
They consist of 2,932 Punong Barangay (PB) or village chair candidates; 25,587 for Sangguniang Barangay (SB) or village councilor; 3,050 for Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) or the youth organization chairpersons; and 16,068 for SK members in Region 11’s 43 municipalities, and six cities.
Comelec - 11 data showed that in Davao Oriental, 442 filed for PB; 3,852 for SB; 463 for SK chairpersons; and 2,494 for SK members while in Davao City, those seeking positions for PB numbered 471; SB (4,569); SK chairpersons (493); and SK members (2,497).
In Davao del Sur, 575 filed for PB; 4,792 for SB; 585 for SK chairpersons; and 3,287 for SK members, while in Davao de Oro, 581 filed for PB; SB (5,079); SK chairpersons (601); and SK members (3,258).
In Davao del Norte, 602 are vying for PB; 5,236 for SB; 632 for SK chairpersons; and 3,560 for SK members, and in Davao Occidental, 261 filed for PB; SB (2,059); SK chairpersons (276); and SK members (972).
“This is for the entire region and during the first few days of the filing, we noticed an influx of applicants,” Enumerables said.
She reminded aspirants that premature campaigning will not be tolerated, beginning from the day of COC filing until before the official campaign period from Oct. 19 to 28.
“Our [Comelec] chair is very aggressive to file cases on those who are practicing premature campaigning. It is an election offense and is criminal in nature, they might get jailed or disqualified,” she stressed.
She said Comelec will also automatically remove any campaign materials, including posters, displayed before the campaign period as it is deemed illegal and considered an election offense.
She also warned aspiring politicians that premature campaigning on social media could result in easy detection due to its free accessibility.
Likewise, Enumerables urged the public to file an affidavit of complaint and submit it to the Comelec office should they see aspirants resorting to premature campaigning like posting tarpaulins.
“It is really important that there is a complainant. But if we see it ourselves, we can initiate the complaint,” she said. (PNA)
