MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Friday took exception to the remarks of an alumni group from the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) who urged authorities to exercise non-partisanship in this year's elections, and hold orderly and credible polls.
The group "AIM Alumni for Leni" earlier made the call to the Comelec, Electoral Boards manned by teachers, the education department, the police force, the national army and all concerned agencies involved in the elections.
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The group is in support of presidential aspirant Vice President Leni Robredo, who is running as an independent candidate and has the backing of opposition coalition 1Sambayan.
"The appeal of AIM Alumni for Leni calling for non-partisanship and for holding of orderly, peaceful and credible elections on May 9, 2022 is therefore unnecessary as it tends to sow distrust on the integrity of the Comelec," Commissioner Socorro Inting said in a statement on Friday.
Under the Omnibus Election Code of 1985, a partisan political activity is an act which promotes the election or defeat of candidate/s seeking public office.
"Casting aspersions on the Comelec and its deputized agencies, without suficient basis, is the last thing we need now, more so that we are already in the homestretch of the campaign. It betrays the honest and tireless efforts of our poll workers who have been sacrificing a lot just to ensure the success of the polls," Inting said.
To her, the appeal of AIM Alumni for Leni subtly conditions the minds of Filipinos that the upcoming elections is not credible, if Robredo loses.
Inting explained that Robredo was voted into office in the 2016 elections "through a credible process, spearheaded by no less than your Comelec."
In a Friday briefing, Comelec Commissioner George Garcia said that the poll body is not overlooking allegations questioning their credibility and impartiality, which is why Inting released her statement.
AIM Alumni for Leni earlier said that all those charged with overseeing the elections should be non-partisan.
"Our collective interest is for our candidates to be elected through a credible process. When elections are credible, the results will be accepted, and the transition to the new government will be peaceful and orderly," the group said in a statement.
This week, the Comelec First Division has dismissed the last disqualification case against presidential aspirant Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr. due to a lack of merit, clearing the survey frontrunner of the last legal challenges facing his candidacy in the division level.
Marcos has hurdled disqualification petitions and one plea seeking to cancel his certificate of candidacy at the division level. The petitions cited his failure to file income tax returns for four years.
Marcos remains the top choice as 56% of voters are likely choose to him as their presidential bet, although he dropped four percentage points from 60% the month before, according to the Pulse Asia's March voters' preference poll.
Meanwhile, his archrival Robredo is a far second at 24%, but she leaped nine percentage points on a month-on-month basis.
Voters' preference surveys do not necessarily predict what will happen in the elections, and should only be seen as a snapshot of voters' sentiments at the time the interviews were conducted.