THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) is “guardedly optimistic” the pending bill on premature campaigning will finally be passed in the 18th Congress.
Comelec Spokesman James B. Jimenez reiterated their support for the legislative proposal, which is expected to finally plug the legal loophole allowing candidates to engage in election campaign even before the actual start of the campaign period.
However, he noted, lawmakers anticipate the bill will go through an uphill battle in Congress due to its implications especially for politicians.
“Say you are candidate, if this law is passed, one of the possible effects is that if you announce in any venue after the filing [of their COC], they might be accused of premature campaigning,” Jimenez said in an interview.
“We want to see it started, but we know that the process will have to go through to become law might be more complicated than not,” he added.
To recall, Senators Richard Gordon and Leila M. de Lima filed in the 17th Congress separate bills to address premature campaigning. Gordon’s bills will make people who file their certificate of candidacy (COC), immediately covered by election campaign rules, by declaring them as official candidates.
Meanwhile, de Lima’s bill makes prospective candidates liable for premature campaigning within one year before the start of the campaign period.
Both bills failed to pass in the 17th Congress.