Gibo, Agra for less restrictive campaigning

MANILA, Philippines — Former defense secretary Gilbert Teodoro thanked former justice secretary Alberto Agra for initiating a petition in the Commission on Elections to amend Comelec Resolution 10370, which he believes is quite restrictive during this campaign period amid the pandemic.

Teodoro, who is running for a Senate seat, echoed Agra’s call to include in the list of other forms of election propaganda the billboards and gadgets.

Agra, an election law professor, said the propaganda such as billboards, gadgets and other similar devices that were prohibited under the Omnibus Election Code in 1985, were already allowed under the Fair Elections Act of 2001.

He noted that the Comelec resolution narrowed the list of “other forms” of election propaganda.

“The Comelec limits what the law does not,” Agra stressed.

Teodoro, a former Tarlac congressman, noted that the COVID-19 pandemic has limited the movement of candidates to campaign for themselves.

He said allowing more forms of election propaganda would help candidates in presenting their vision and platforms and for the voters to know more about the candidates.