Gun ban, other poll prohibitions expire June 13

BY

RAPPLER.COM

POSTED ON 06/12/2013 3:44 PM | UPDATED 06/14/2013 4:18 PM

MANILA, Philippines - The election period is over as of Thursday, June 13. Various election-related bans such as on carrying licensed firearms, re-assignment of government officials and employees, and granting of franchises to radio and television stations are lifted. There were 24 kinds of bans that were put in place during various phases of the election period. (For a complete list, read here.) For the candidates, June 13 is also the deadline for the filing of their Statement of Contributions and Expenditures. The election period ran from January 13 to June 12 this year for the May 13 elections, based on Commission on Elections (Comelec) Resolution No 9385. Between January 13 and June 11, a total of 3,684 individuals nationwide were arrested for violating the gun ban, according to a report by the Philippine Star. Most of those arrested were civilians, and a few were government officials.

Comelec, meanwhile, will shift its focus on resolving election protests. The poll body is also expected to submit in October 6 months after the polls a complete report on the conduct of the midterm polls to the Office of the President. A number of cases seeking to annul the proclamation of candidates have been filed before the poll body, according to Comelec Commissioner Luie Guia. A common ground cited, is the legality of the proceedings of the local board of canvassers, the body that proclaims the winners. These cases do not need to determine which candidate obtained the most number of votes. Carmela Fonbuena/Rappler.com

Source: http://www.rappler.com/nation/politics/elections-2013/31158-gun-ban,-other-pollprohibitions-expire-june-13

Kenneth Paul Recana

ABIS-ASST; Versailles Analysis on Election Bans

June 20, 2013

The article focuses on the end of the election bans on 13 different entities. As we all know, elections are one of the most crucial part of the political system as it involves the participation of the public people in choosing the officials that will lead them for the next years to come. As it is an important event, the government implements various rules to tighten security and to lessen crimes during the period. One of these is the election ban. According to Resolution 9385, there are 24 prohibited acts on the course of the election period. This article is political in nature because it discusses many things related to politics and its components. The first aspect of politics discussed in the article was the power of the government to influence people. As we said before, politics is an activity where there is formulation of rules in order to secure the life of the people. This is clearly seen in this article as the government used its authoritative power in order to impose laws to secure the election. In this article, the side of politics being a public affair is also clearly seen as there is a clear contact of the government and the common people through the resolution. Lastly, the article shows the overwhelming power of the government. One simple resolution could make changes in the society even for just a few months. Their authority is acknowledged and almost everyone followed the instructions of the election ban. We can understand this more by using one of the approaches of political science which is institutionalism. According to Merriam-Webster, it is defined as an emphasis on organization at the expense of other factors. The organization here is the government and its implementation of laws directly affects the life of people during the election period with Resolution 9385. The government indeed plays a very important role in our society, especially during important events like the elections.