By Mae Singuay

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) served a show cause order against a candidate in the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE) in Bacolod City for allegedly engaging in premature campaigning.

Comelec-Bacolod officer Kathrina Trinio-Caña said the candidate (identity and position withheld) has been given three days to answer the order issued by the Task Force Against Premature Campaign on Wednesday, September 20.

She said that failure of the involved candidate to reply within the given period would depend on the Task Force’s recommendation.

There is a possibility for the election aspirant to face disqualification, she explained.

When asked how the alleged offense reached the task force, Trinio-Caña said, “I do not know about how they received it, possibly there was a complaint.”

The local election officer said the show cause order will serve as a lesson for candidates that the agency was not joking in its campaign against premature campaigning.

Trinio-Caña said premature campaigning is prohibited, and candidates found violating this may be disqualified.

She appealed to them to follow the election laws on campaigning.

Earlier, Comelec executive director Atty. Teopisto Elnas, Jr. issued a memorandum to all regional election directors and provincial election supervisors, reiterating the temporary restraining order that prohibits them from implementing Comelec Resolution 10730, or the Fair Elections Act.

“As such, the removal of all election materials will continue in public places,” the memorandum stated.

The official campaign period for BSKE will be from October 19 to 28.

The election day is set on October 30./MS, WDJ