The Commission on Elections is reminding all candidates in the May 12 elections to remove their campaign materials posted in public places by Saturday, May 17, and to submit their Statements of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCEs) by June 11.
Section 30 of Comelec Resolution No. 11086 states that all candidates must remove their campaign materials within five days after the elections and without need of notice, Negros Island Region Commission on Elections Assistant Regional Director Jossil Macute said on Thursday, May 15.
If candidates who won and lost fail to remove their campaign materials, it will be done by the Comelec and local government and they will be billed, Macute said.
In Bacolod City several candidates have already directed their teams to remove their campaign materials ahead of Saturday’s deadline.
Meanwhile, winning candidates cannot assume their posts if they fail to file their SOCEs.
Failure to file one’s SOCE may also result in fines for the first offense, and for second offenders it may be grounds for perpetual disqualification from running for office, he said.
Macute said they have already started paying teachers who served during the elections
The Comelec will now start preparing for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) set on December 1, he said.
The registration of voters for the BSKE will be from July 1 to 11, Macute added.*