3 party-list groups face disqualification over posters

MANILA, Philippines - Three party-list groups accused of placing campaign posters outside the common poster areas will undergo disqualification proceedings starting Friday.

These party-list groups are: Ang Kabataan, LPG Marketers Association, and Piston Land Transportation Coalition.

Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Sixto Brillantes said the hearings will be on the possible cancellation of their accreditation.

“We set the hearings on Friday,” he said. “There were previous notices sent to them.”

The proceedings are parallel to the election offense cases that may be filed against the three party-list groups for violating Comelec Resolution 9615.

The resolution requires that campaign materials shall be posted only in common poster areas that Comelec election officers have identified. 

Posters may be displayed in private property, but they must conform with sizes that the poll body has determined.

The Comelec is allowed under Republic Act 7941, the Party-List System Act, to cancel the registration of a group that violates or fails to comply with laws, rules or regulations relating to elections.

When a party-list group listed on the official ballots is disqualified, the votes for it will no longer be counted, Brillantes said.