The commander of the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division called on candidates to coordinate with authorities if they receive demands to pay for permits to campaign.
Brig Gen. Michael Samson, 3ID commander, said what is important is coordination and cooperation between the candidates and law enforcers.
They have not received any reports yet of such demands from the Communist rebels, he said.
Candidates should not pay as such demands coming from persons taking advantage of the situation could be fake, he said.
The campaign period for candidates for Senator and party-list groups will start on February 11.
The campaign period for candidates for members House of Representatives, and provincial, city, municipal officials will start on March 28.
Meanwhile, the Army is continuing to assess the situation as the election approaches, Samson said
He is waiting for the recommendation of the 303rd and 302nd Brigades regarding the deployment of additional personnel in Negros, Samson said.*