Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — Poll watchdogs welcome the Commission on Election’s (COMELEC) proposal to extend the campaign period to 120 days. However, they also admit that this does not guarantee a level playing field among candidates.
Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) Chairwoman Henrietta de Villa says the move is “exciting”.
According to De Villa, this would allow the COMELEC to set limits on what candidates spend on their campaigns, for a broader period.
While National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections Secretary General Eric Jude Alvia finds it “refreshing” for the poll body to be rethinking election rules and genuinely involving stakeholders in making decisions.
Alvia and De Villa, however, convinced the COMELEC to also find ways to stop vote-buying, which for them is the bigger problem hounding the electoral process.
