Central Visayas candidates warned against early campaigning

The Commission on Elections in Central Visayas has warned candidates for the upcoming Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections against early campaigning, saying that they will face criminal charges if caught.

According to Comelec-7 legal officer Atty. Ferdinand Gujilde, a criminal complaint will be filed against those who engage in early campaigning.

"They can be disqualified, and they can be charged with an election offense for premature campaigning. That election offense is indeed considered a criminal offense," Gujilde said.

The campaign period for the Barangay and SK elections will start on 19 October and will end on 28 October 2023. Any campaigning done outside of this period is considered illegal.

Gujilde urged candidates to be mindful of the election laws and to refrain from engaging in early campaigning.

"We are appealing to the candidates to be law-abiding and to respect the election laws. We are here to ensure that the elections will be free, fair, and orderly," he said.

To recall, Comelec-7 has recorded a total of 102,284 individuals who have filed their certificates of candidacy for the Barangay and SK elections in the region.

Of this number, 6,511 are seeking the Barangay Chairperson posts, 52,260 are seeking the Barangay Councilors posts, 6,559 are seeking the SK Chairpersonships, and 36,954 are seeking the SK memberships.