Last week’s column, we discussed the important dates leading to the May 2025 midterm elections, its significance and some of the prohibited acts during such period. In this week, I will enumerate and discuss some of the other acts that are prohibited during election period. The enumeration of prohibited acts that will be discussed in this week’s edition is not exclusive. I choose and pick those acts which are more common and more susceptible to commit for the information of my fellow Catandunganons.

 

To begin with, Section 261 of the Omnibus Election Code enumerated the prohibited acts during election period. As stated therein, if these acts are committed during such period, the same shall amount to an election offense.

 

Here are some of the prohibited acts which I deemed highly important which people should know:

 

1. Vote-buying and vote-selling.
2. Any person who gives, offers or promises money or anything of value, gives or promises any office or employment, franchise or grant, public or private, or makes or offers to make an expenditure, directly or indirectly, or cause an expenditure to be made to any person, association, corporation, entity, or community in order to induce anyone or the public in general to vote for or against any candidate or withhold his vote in the election, or to vote for or against any aspirant for the nomination or choice of a candidate in a convention or similar selection process of a political party.

 

1. Any person, association, corporation, group or community who solicits or receives, directly or indirectly, any expenditure or promise of any office or employment, public or private, for any of the foregoing considerations.

 

2. Wagering upon result of election. – Any person who bets or wagers upon the outcome of, or any contingency connected with an election. Any money or thing of value or deposit of money or thing of value situated anywhere in the Philippines put as such bet or wager shall be forfeited to the government.

 

3. Coercion of subordinates.

Any public officer, or any officer of any public or private corporation or association, or any head, superior, or administrator of any religious organization, or any employer or land-owner who coerces or intimidates or compels, or in any manner influence, directly or indirectly, any of his subordinates or members or parishioners or employees or house helpers, tenants, overseers, farm helpers, tillers, or lease holders to aid, campaign or vote for or against any candidate or any aspirant for the nomination or selection of candidates.

 

4. Unlawful electioneering.

It is unlawful to solicit votes or undertake any propaganda on the day of registration before the board of election inspectors and on the day of election, for or against any candidate or any political party within the polling place and with a radius of thirty (30) meters thereof.

 

5. Use of public funds, money deposited in trust, equipment, facilities owned or controlled by the government for an election campaign.

Any person who uses under any guise whatsoever, directly or indirectly, (a) public funds or money deposited with, or held in trust by, public financing institutions or by government offices, banks, or agencies; (b) any printing press, radio, or television station or audio-visual equipment operated by the Government or by its divisions, sub-divisions, agencies or instrumentalities, including government-owned or controlled corporations, or by the Armed Forces of the Philippines; or (c) any equipment, vehicle, facility, apparatus, or paraphernalia owned by the government or by its political subdivisions, agencies including government owned or controlled corporations, or by the Armed Forces of the Philippines for any election campaign or for any partisan political activity.

 

6. Deadly weapons.

Any person who carries any deadly weapon in the polling place and within a radius of one hundred (100) meters thereof during the days and hours fixed by law for the registration of voters in the polling place, voting, counting of votes, or preparation of the election returns.

 

7. Any person who solicits votes or undertakes any propaganda, on the day of election, for or against any candidate or any political party within the polling place or within a radius of thirty (30) meters thereof.

 

8. Any person who opens in any polling place or within a radius of thirty (30) meters thereof on election day and during the counting of votes, booths or stalls of any kind for the sale, dispensing or display of wares, merchandise or refreshments, whether solid or liquid, or for any other purposes.

 

9. Any person who holds on election day, fairs, cockfights, boxing, horse races, jaialai or any other similar sports.

 

Section 264 of the Omnibus Election Code provides that any person found guilty of any election offense under the Code shall be punished with imprisonment of not less than one year but not more than six (6) years and shall not be subject to probation. In addition, the guilty party shall be sentenced to suffer disqualification to hold public office and deprivation of the right of suffrage.