De Guzman: Call for fair use of barangay facilities won’t work

Labor leaders Leody de Guzman and Luke Espiritu of the Partido Lakas ng Masa.  (INQUIRER.net / Dianne Sampang)

MANILA, Philippines — Partido Lakas ng Masa senatorial candidate Leody de Guzman said telling barangay officials to “be fair” in allowing candidates to use public campaign spaces is not enough.

“[P]atronage politics and political dynasties have an influence on why only them and their allies can use public facilities for campaigning,” De Guzman’s camp said in a statement on Tuesday.

“The issue of fairness in elections cannot be resolved by simply informing them that all political candidates can use public spaces such as covered courts and town plazas as venues for their campaign sorties,” his camp added.

De Guzman’s statement came after Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairperson George Erwin Garcia appealed to barangay officials to allow candidates they support and candidates they do not support to use barangay facilities like basketball courts as campaign rally venues.

READ: ‘Be fair’, Garcia tells barangay execs to allow bets to use facilities 

“Walang pangil ang panukala ni Chair Garcia tungkol sa pantay na paggamit ng facilities sa pangangampaniya,” De Guzman said.

(Chair Garcia’s proposal has no teeth in ensuring the fair usage of facilities in campaigning.)

“Comelec and the national government must fund campaigning and election processes, ensuring equal coverage and reach for each candidate,” his camp added.

Garcia, however, said that barangay officials who do not comply with this directive may be held liable in an administrative case with penalties to be handed out by the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

 The campaign period for local candidates will begin on Friday, March 28.