Comelec: Negros bet who rained down money on crowd can’t be charged with violation

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Saturday said that the incumbent official of Negros Oriental who figured in a viral video raining down P500 bills on spectators "did not technically commit a violation" of election laws.

"Hindi pa covered ng election laws kung tutuusin (not yet covered by election laws actually),” said Comelec chairman George Garcia in an interview on Super Radyo dzBB regarding the act committed by the province official in question, who is also an aspirant.

Garcia added that the province official is not yet considered a candidate only an “aspirant” since the campaign period for local elective posts —on March 28— has not yet started.

He also cited a Supreme Court decision, or the so-called Peñera Doctrine, which stated that a person who filed a certificate of candidacy can only be considered a candidate only when the campaign period begins, thereby subjecting them to election laws.

Nevertheless, he said residents or the DILG can still file a complaint.

“Pwede rin ang DILG (Department of the Interior and Local Government), pwede rin sino mang residente o nakatira o sino mang indibidwal na taga-doon, pwedeng mag-file ng complaint,” he said.

(The DILG can also file a complaint, any resident or occupant or any individual from there can also file a complaint.)

“Ang pakiusap natin sa mga botante, na kapag ang mga kumakandidato, incumbent man o hindi, ay ganyan ang pinaggagawa— nasa kanila kung gusto nilang iboto ang ganyang mga tao, na inaabuso ang kahirapan ng ilang mamamayan,” he added.

(Our plea to voters is that when candidates, incumbent or not, act like that—it’s up to them whether they want to vote for such people, who are abusing the poverty of some citizens.) —Ted Cordero/ VAL, GMA Integrated News

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