Comelec: BOPK ads premature

CEBU, Philippines - An official of the Commission on Elections in Cebu has described the “Buy One Take One” political advertisement of Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) as “premature.”

But Comelec provincial election supervisor Lionel Marco Castillano could not say whether the publication was illegal or not.

Castillano said that the proper department that can make the determination whether the advertisement was illegal or not is the Comelec Law Department in Manila.

 “All I can say ang Comelec wala pa nag-election period there is still no candidates,” Castillano said.

He explained that if there are anybody aggrieved to the publication, they are welcome to file a complaint before his office.

Castillano said that as a matter of procedure, they will forward the complaint to the law department in Manila to resolve its legality.

“If they ask whether it was legal or not, we cannot determine, we will forward it to the law department, the proper body to determine if it is legal or not,” Castillano said.

The BOPK has been running the “Buy One Take One” advertisement on print since Monday.

The advertisement brags about the group’s having a tandem of Ten Most Outstanding Young Men awardees. According to the ads, this is first time in the country that a mayor and vice mayor tandem are both TOYM awardees.

Cebu City South District Rep. Tomas Osmeña who has already announced his plan to run for mayor in 2013 was a TOYM awardee in 1989 while Vice Mayor Joy Young who is seeking reelection is a TOYM awardee in 1994.— (FREEMAN)