Dispatch from Crame No. 1236:
Sen. Leila M. de Lima on the lifting of the permit requirement by COMELEC

3/18/22

The lifting of the election campaign permit requirement by the COMELEC is most welcome.

As I have said before, it is an unnecessary bureaucratic requirement for all candidates. Certainly, it is not something COMELEC is staffed or equipped to do. It was never really realistic to expect COMELEC to scrutinize each and every event of each and every candidate for the duration of the campaign period.

At its best, it is just an accumulation of wastepaper in the COMELEC offices where random COMELEC officials skim through the paperwork only to end up mechanically approving the request. At worst, it is a means to put candidates with limited resources at even more disadvantage by giving them more hoops through which to jump.

Fair elections necessitate that candidates be given every opportunity to present their platforms and qualifications. By removing this superfluous permit requirements for candidates, COMELEC is on the right direction towards a better informed electorate.