The Commission on Elections on Wednesday said it was open to reviewing its guidelines on physically campaigning for the May 9 elections after some candidates complained that they might be too restrictive.
Commissioner Socorro Inting, who currently serves as acting chairperson, said the Comelec was aware of the complaints of some candidates on the campaign rules, which are based on the protocols set by the Inter-Agency Task Force on COVID-19.
"Maybe we will review our rules because when we adopted our rules, the alert level status was Alert Level 3," she said in a press conference.
"Now it's Alert Level 2, but there is a possibility that we will be downgraded to Alert Level 1. Maybe we will review our rules on campaigns consistent with Alert Level 1," she added.
The Comelec earlier issued the Resolution 10732 which lays out the guidelines for in-person campaigns, motorcades and other related physical campaign activities for the May 9 polls.
Under the resolution, allowed campaign activities will depend on the category under which a particular area belongs, which itself is based on the alert-based COVID-19 restriction system being implemented by the government.
If the IATF changes its guidelines, it will reflect on the campaign rules set by the Comelec, said spokesperson James Jimenez.
"Face masks are unlikely to be removed. On face shields, yes, the doors are open for the recalibration of that guidelines," he added.
The Comelec earlier said that the following physical activities are not allowed during the campaign:
- Candidates entering households even with the consent of the owner
- Kissing, hugging, hand-shaking
- Crowding candidates
- Taking selfies with candidates
- Distributing food and drinks to attendees of campaign rallies
The campaign period for the 2022 elections will continue until May 7, two days before election day.
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