Campaigning ends May 10: Comelec enforces strict silence period

Personnel from the Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office took the initiative to remove the campaign posters placed on the trees along a highway in Cebu City. | CCENRO/Facebook

CEBU CITY, Philippines — No more campaigning starting on May 11.

With the campaign period ending at midnight on May 10, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has issued a final and stern reminder that starting May 11, no form of campaigning will be allowed nationwide, as the 48-hour election silence period begins ahead of the May 12 national and local elections.

This official campaign ban, enforced under Comelec Resolution No. 11086 in line with the Fair Elections Act, prohibits all election-related activities, including public canvassing, distribution of campaign materials, and giving out anything of value to voters, even free transportation, food, or beverages.

READ: Comelec says undervoting allowed in May 12 elections

Any violation is punishable by one to six years of imprisonment, permanent disqualification from holding public office, and loss of voting rights.

Lawyer John Rex Laudiangco, the spokesperson of Comelec, through the commission’s online election program Episode 27, reiterated that the May 10 deadline is final and that candidates and their supporters must cease all promotional efforts beginning May 11, also known as the eve of Election Day.

The campaign ban covers all candidates, regardless of position, and aims to uphold the integrity, fairness, and orderliness of the electoral process.

Included in the list of prohibited acts from May 11 to May 12 are the distribution of any items with value, especially those intended to influence voter preference.

Alcohol consumption will also be banned during the same period, except in tourist-accredited establishments with special permits, and only for foreigners.

READ: Cebu province all set for May 12 polls – Comelec

Candidates have also been advised to remove oversized tarpaulins and lingering campaign materials from public roads and spaces, especially along highways, as their continued presence may be interpreted as indirect campaigning and may be used as grounds for disqualification or legal complaints from rival camps.

Meanwhile, Comelec Chairperson George Erwin Garcia emphasized that although the official campaign period runs from February 11 to May 10 for national candidates and from March 28 to May 10 for local candidates, certain days were declared off-limits for campaigning.

These include Maundy Thursday (April 17), Good Friday (April 18), the day before Election Day (May 11), and Election Day itself (May 12).

In anticipation of the voting proper, Comelec also released updated voting guidelines to ensure orderly conduct at polling precincts.

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Early voting hours for senior citizens, persons with disabilities, and pregnant voters will be from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m., while the general voting period will run from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Voters are encouraged to bring a printed or digital copy of their Voter Information Sheet, prepare a personal voting guide or kodigo, and review their assigned precinct location using Comelec’s Precinct Finder online tool. Proper shading of the ballots and respectful conduct inside polling centers are required.

Among the prohibited acts inside polling precincts are overvoting, taking selfies or videos, and removing any election-related materials such as the voter’s receipt, ballot secrecy folder, or marking pen from the premises.

Comelec estimates that 69.6 million registered voters are eligible to participate in Monday’s polls, including 1.2 million overseas voters whose month-long voting window will close on the same day.

A total of 18,320 seats are up for grabs, including 12 Senate posts, 63 party-list seats, 254 district House seats, and thousands of local positions ranging from governors and mayors to municipal and barangay councilors.

Laudiangco stressed that adherence to these rules is not merely the duty of candidates but also a shared responsibility among voters, electoral boards, and all citizens.

The goal, he added, is to ensure a clean, peaceful, and credible electoral outcome reflective of the people’s will. /clorenciana