The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will be coming up with guidelines on the conduct of campaign sorties for the 2022 elections amid the COVID-19 pandemic, an official said.
According to provincial election supervisor Atty. Elesio Labaria, the Comelec will be meeting later this month to discuss possible regulations that would ensure the safety of the public if physical campaign activities will be allowed.
“Dunay mga consultative meetings, actually magmeeting me this month and succeeding months unsaon pagpahigayon ning kampanya,” Labaria said in an interview over station dyRD on Thursday.
The Comelec hopes to address issues such as mass gathering, which is prohibited under quarantine rules, and other health protocol violations.
“Usa sa problema nato karon ning social distancing, di mana kalikayan og tugutan nato ng mga rally magtapok ng mga taw labina og naay artista diha so delikado ang spread sa COVID, usa ni sa ginatan-aw karon og unsaon,” he added.
Based on the Comelec’s calendar of activities, campaign period for national candidates, including those running for president, vice president, senator and under partylist groups will start on February 8, 2022.
Campaigning for local candidates will kick off on March 25, 2022.
Next month, aspiring officials will be filing their certificate of candidacy or COC from October 1 to October 8, 2021.
According to Labaria, applicants will be barred from engaging in the usual practice of making festivities out of the COC filing by bringing their supporters to the Comelec office.
“Madakpan ta ana sa social distancing, bawal man ang tapok-tapok,” said Labaria.