Provincial and congressional candidates in Negros Oriental have signed a peace covenant for a clean, honest, accurate, meaningful, and peaceful (CHAMP) elections for the May 2025 national and local elections at the Maringal Hall of the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office (NOPPO).
The event brought together around 40 provincial and congressional candidates who participated in the unity walk, a briefing, peace covenant, and interfaith prayer rally.
This also aims to foster a peaceful and orderly election process and reaffirm the commitment of all involved parties to fair and responsible conduct during the electoral period.
In a briefing, Negros Island Region (NIR) Commission on Elections (Comelec) Assistant Regional Election Director Atty. Jossil Macute reminded the candidates of the guidelines and prohibited acts under Republic Act No. 9006 or the Fair Elections Act.
Comelec noted that there are more first time candidates who attended the event than those seeking reelections.
The aspirants include nine for the House of Representatives, six for governor, three for vice governor, and 22 for provincial board.
The candidates pledged to follow the principles of peace and lawfulness and avoid force, intimidation, and vote buying.
“We make sure that the election will not be a failure here,” said Comelec NIR Regional Election Director Lionel Marco Castillano.
During the Peace Covenant signing and Interfaith Prayer Rally, NOPPO director Police Colonel Ronan Claraval underscored the commitment of the police to remain impartial, maintain peace and order, and uphold the integrity of the electoral process.
The Philippine Army in Negros Oriental also assured to provide security against any kind of threats that would mar the elections.
“Hopefully, we could have peaceful elections without using all the government resources so that the voters could vote freely,” Castillano said.
He asked the candidates to let the voters exercise their rights freely without fear, intimidation, and violence.
“We, together with the police, the Army and Diocesan Electoral Board have plans to ensure that violence or intimidation would not happen,” the Comelec official said.
The campaign period, including the 45 days that will be given to local candidates to persuade voters starting March 28, will end on May 10.
However, Macute stressed that election campaigns will be prohibited on April 17 (Maundy Thursday), April 18 (Good Friday), May 11 (eve of the election), and May 12 (day of the election). (PIA-7 Negros Oriental)