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Attorneys of the Philippines Legal News

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The Prohibited Acts During The Election Period

In the previous years, the election period starts in February, but it comes a month earlier this year. This means rules and regulations under Section 3 of the Omnibus Election Code (OEC) commences on January 10, which is 30 days in advance.

From January 10 to June 8, 2016, these following acts are prohibited:

•    Suspension of elective local officials;
•    bearing firearms and other deadly weapons, unless authorized by the Comelec, this is also referred to as the gun ban;
•    organization of reaction forces, strike forces, etc;
•    alteration of territory of a precinct, or the establishment of a new precinct;
•    use of security personnel/bodyguards by candidates, unless authorized by the Comelec;
•    transfer or movement of officers and employees in the civil service.

If one of these prohibitions is violated, it can be a ground for disqualification in case the offender is running for an elective public office.

The prohibited acts can be found under Section 261 of the Omnibus Election Code:

“Sec. 261. Prohibited Acts. - The following shall be guilty of an election offense:

a. Vote-buying and vote-selling.
1.      Any person who gives, offers or promises money or anything of value, gives or promises any office or employment, franchise or grant, public or private, or makes or offers to make an expenditure, directly or indirectly, or cause an expenditure to be made to any person, association, corporation, entity, or community in order to induce anyone or the public in general to vote for or against any candidate or withhold his vote in the election, or to vote for or against any aspirant for the nomination or choice of a candidate in a convention or similar selection process of a political party.

2.     Any person, association, corporation, group or community who solicits or receives, directly or indirectly, any expenditure or promise of any office or employment, public or private, for any of the foregoing considerations.
b.    Conspiracy to bribe voters. - Two or more persons, whether candidates or not, who come to an agreement concerning the commission of any violation of paragraph (a) of this section and decide to commit it.

c.    Wagering upon result of election. - Any person who bets or wagers upon the outcome of, or any contingency connected with an election. Any money or thing of value or deposit of money or thing of value situated anywhere in the Philippines put as such bet or wager shall be forfeited to the government.

 d.   Coercion of subordinates.

1.    Any public officer, or any officer of any public or private corporation or association, or any head, superior, or administrator of any religious organization, or any employer or land-owner who coerces or intimidates or compels, or in any manner influence, directly or indirectly, any of his subordinates or members or parishioners or employees or house helpers, tenants, overseers, farm helpers, tillers, or lease holders to aid, campaign or vote for or against any candidate or any aspirant for the nomination or selection of candidates.

2.    Any public officer or any officer of any commercial, industrial, agricultural, economic or social enterprise or public or private corporation or association, or any head, superior or administrator of any religious organization, or any employer or landowner who dismisses or threatens to dismiss, punishes or threatens to punish be reducing his salary, wage or compensation, or by demotion, transfer, suspension, separation, excommunication, ejectment, or causing him annoyance in the performance of his job or in his membership, any subordinate member or affiliate, parishioner, employee or house helper, tenant, overseer, farm helper, tiller, or lease holder, for disobeying or not complying with any of the acts ordered by the former to aid, campaign or vote for or against any candidate, or any aspirant for the nomination or selection of candidates.

e. Threats, intimidation, terrorism, use of fraudulent device or other forms of coercion. - Any person who, directly or indirectly, threatens, intimidates or actually causes, inflicts or produces any violence, injury, punishment, damage, loss or disadvantage upon any person or persons or that of the immediate members of his family, his honor or property, or uses any fraudulent device or scheme to compel or induce the registration or refraining from registration of any voter, or the participation in a campaign or refraining or desistance from any campaign, or the casting of any vote or omission to vote, or any promise of such registration, campaign, vote, or omission therefrom.

f. Coercion of election officials and employees. - Any person who, directly or indirectly, threatens, intimidates, terrorizes or coerces any election official or employee in the performance of his election functions or duties.”

The detailed list of prohibited acts can be found in the official website of Comelec.

Supreme Court Rejects Petition Against No Bio, No Boto Policy

Comelec has implemented “No Bio, No Boto” policy in order to ensure that each and every voter has completed a verification process in line with the Comelec’s efforts to reduce if not totally eradicate flying voters and other issues involved in voter registration. The Supreme Court junks petition vs No Bio, No Boto policy filed by leftist group leaders on November 25. Due to the petition, the court was prompted to issue a temporary restraining order, deterring Comelec from implementing the policy. The reason for junking the petition is that the policy is based on a law. The poll body also took time needed for preparation for the 2016 elections into great consideration.

The biometrics required by Comelec is based on Republic Act 10367:

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled:
Section 1. Declaration of Policy. – It is the policy of the State to establish a clean, complete, permanent and updated list of voters through the adoption of biometric technology.

Section 2. Definition of Terms. – As used in this Act:

(a) Commission refers to the Commission on Elections (COMELEC).

(b) Biometrics refers to the quantitative analysis that provides a positive identification of an individual such as voice, photograph, fingerprint, signature, iris and/or such other identifiable features.

(c) Data Capture Machine (DCM) is the device which captures the biometrics of an individual.

(d) Validation is the process of taking the biometrics of registered voters whose biometrics have not yet been captured.

(e) Deactivation refers to the removal of the registration record of the registered voter from the corresponding precinct book of voters for failure to comply with the validation process as required by this Act.

(f) Reactivation refers to the reinstatement of a deactivated voter.

Section 3. Who Shall Submit for Validation. – Registered voters whose biometrics have not been captured shall submit themselves for validation.

Section 4. Who Shall Conduct the Validation. – The City or Municipal Election Officer shall conduct the validation.

Section 5. Commencement of Validation. – The Commission shall conduct validation beginning July 1, 2013, consistent with the continuing registration under Republic Act No. 8189.

Section 6. Publication and Notice Requirement. – The Commission shall cause the publication of the commencement of the validation in two (2) newspapers of general circulation. The City or Municipal Election Officer shall serve individual written notices by registered mail with return card to the voters concerned at their latest address in the voter’s registration record and post the list of the voters concerned in the city or municipal bulletin board and in the local COMELEC office.

Section 7. Deactivation. – Voters who fail to submit for validation on or before the last day of filing of application for registration for purposes of the May 2016 elections shall be deactivated pursuant to this Act.

Section 8. Reactivation. – Those deactivated under the preceding section may apply for reactivation after the May 2016 elections following the procedure provided in Section 28 of Republic Act No. 8189.

Section 9. Database Security. – The database generated by biometric registration shall be secured by the Commission and shall not be used, under any circumstance, for any purpose other than for electoral exercises.

Section 10. Mandatory Biometrics Registration. – The Commission shall implement a mandatory biometrics registration system for new voters.

Section 11. Prohibited Acts. – The following shall be election offenses punishable under Sections 263 and 264 of Batas Pambansa Bilang 881, as amended, otherwise known as the "Omnibus Election Code":

(a) Any person who shall prohibit, impede, obstruct or prevent a registered voter or a new voter from submitting his or her biometrics for capture through the use of force, intimidation or monetary consideration; and

(b) Any public official or person who, under the guise of implementing this Act, shall unjustifiably and without due process, cause the deactivation or reactivation of any registered voter.

Comelec Gun Ban Starts In January

The oft-quoted statement, “start the year with a bang” should not be taken literally since COMELEC gun ban is almost in effect. As 2016 presidential election draws near, you can almost sense crimes lurking around the corner and some of which are politically motivated.  During the election period, which starts from January 10, 2016 to June 8, 2016, carrying or transporting firearms and deadly weapons are prohibited.

James Jimenez, COMELEC Spokesman also welcomes application for gun ban exemption. Those who are eligible for exemption can simply visit www.comelec.gov.ph to file their applications.

The rules and regulations can also be found in Resolution No. 10015:

“SECTION 1. Prohibited Acts. - During the Election Period:

No person shall bear, carry or transport Firearms or Deadly Weapons outside his residence or place of business, and in all public places, including any building, street, park, and in private vehicles or public conveyances, even if he is licensed or authorized to possess or to carry the same, unless authorized by the Commission, through the CBFSP, in accordance with the provisions of this Resolution;

No person shall employ, avail himself or engage the services of security personnel or bodyguards, whether or not such security personnel or bodyguards are regular members or officers of the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), other law enforcement agency of the government or from a private security service provider, unless authorized by the Commission, through the CBFSP, in accordance with the provisions of this Resolution;
No person or entity shall transport and deliver Firearms and/or its parts, Ammunition and/or its components, and Explosives and/or its components, unless authorized by the Commission, through the CBFSP, in accordance with the provisions of this Resolution.”

Section 261. Prohibited Acts. - The following shall be guilty of an election offense:

(q) Carrying firearms outside residence or place of business. - Any person who, although possessing a permit to carry firearm/s, carries any firearm/s outside his residence or place of business during the election period, unless authorized in writing by the Commission: Provided, That a motor vehicle, water or air craft shall not be considered a residence or place of business or extension hereof.

This prohibition shall not apply to cashiers and disbursing officers while in the performance of their duties or to persons who by nature of their official duties, profession, business or occupation habitually carry large sums of money or valuables."
The complete details of Resolution No. 10015 can be found on COMELEC’s official website.

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