The Philippine Online Chronicles

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is getting ready for the October 25 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan polls.

Over the weekend, it declared a ban on new appointments to government offices, including government-owned and controlled corporations. This includes a prohibition on President Noynoy Aquino to appoint anyone to a government post until the end of the elections period on November 10.

The prohibition also covers the hiring of any new employees, approving the transfer of posts, creating new positions, suspending any elected official or granting salary increases.

The poll body added that it “shall not grant the authority [to appoint new officers] unless it is satisfied that the position to be filled is essential to the proper functioning of the office or agency concerned.”

Return of the gun ban

Comelec also said that, as with the national elections, it has the power to place under its jurisdiction any area that might be threatened by mass election fraud or violence.

“[Comelec] may place under its immediate and direct control any political division, subdivision, unit or area affected by serious armed threats,” it stated.

The poll body has also re-started the gun ban, which prohibits anyone except for duly assigned police and military personnel to carry firearms during the election period. Ten people have already been arrested for violating the ban, including nine civilians and one government official.

“We are calling on the public not to bring their firearms outside their residence as the police and military authorities would set up checkpoints starting Saturday, said Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Raul Bacalzo.

So far, no cases of local elections-related violence has been reported.

Back to manual

Comelec is reverting to manual elections for October after automating the elections for the national polls back in May.

“We need to reorient [voters] on the manual system of voting,” said PPCRV chairperson Henrietta de Villa. “They might have forgotten it.”

Comelec also said that it will require around 490,000 teachers to man the 163,552 clustered precincts in the country as members of the Board of Election Tellers (BET).

Based on Comelec Resolution 9030 or the General Instructions for the Synchronized Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections, a teacher may not be assigned to a precinct where he or she is related to any candidate.