The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) Chairperson George Erwin Garcia confirmed that the COMELEC Task Force immediately conducted a motu proprio investigation following the lewd remarks on single mothers of Pasig congressional candidate Christian Sia.
"Ang COMELEC Task Force po namin ay nag-Motu Proprio po agad doon sa nakita nating video na kumalat. Ibig sabihin kahit walang mag-file ng petisyon, ang amin pong task force ay agad na nag-imbestiga," Garcia said on DZRH's Dos Por Dos interview.
On Friday, the COMELEC was already issued a show-cause order into the candidate and will be evaluated for possible criminal charges, election offense, or even disqualification.
Garcia emphasized that this marks the first time in Philippine election history that COMELEC has enacted an anti-discrimination policy.
"Ito ang kauna-unahang pagkakataon sa kasaysayan ng eleksyon, ang COMELEC ay nagkaroon ng anti-discrimination policy," he noted.
The policy covers protection from discrimination based on gender, health status, disability, regional background, religious beliefs, and more.
Garcia strongly condemned discriminatory remarks made by candidates, towards their co-candidate, voters especially those targeting solo parents.
"Hindi ko maisip bakit kinakailangan na magbiro ka o manira ng puri at pagkatao ng iba, ibang grupo o tao para lang makakuha ng boto," he said. “Ang solo parents dapat nga natin pinaparangalan dahil nafulfill nila ang kanilang pamilya kahit ganun ang kanilang sitwasyon,” Garcia added.
“Para lang po maintindihan ng lahat, wala pong nakalagay na 'I am so sorry' na mitigating circumstance sa aming guidelines. Ibig sabihin ang pagsosorry po ay maaaring personal o kaya politikal pero sa legal hindi naman po tinatanggap ang ganun," he added that apologies do not count as a legal excuse in COMELEC.
On the other hand, the commission is also looking into other candidates for potential violations, which could also fall in anti-discrimination policy.
The COMELEC chief mentioned a gubernatorial candidate in Mindanao who allegedly made sexist and racist statements, and another in Batangas who directed offensive comments at former actress and politician Vilma Santos.
“All disqualification cases will be resolved before the elections,” Garcia stressed, aiming to assure both voters and candidates of a fair and transparent electoral process.
Separately, the commission is also investigating reports from Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija, involving alleged vote-buying activities, where groups of people were seen going outside a place with allegedly believed an election campaign event.
"Kaagad natin pinapunta ang Provincial Election Supervisor at Election Officer mismo sa siyudad. ‘Yan ay pinagsasubmit natin ng report upang malaman kung ano pa ang nasaksihan nila," Garcia said, pointing out that reports of alleged vote-buying after crowd hauling in a campaign must be verified.
As the elections drew near, Garcia called on candidates to raise the discourse. “Kung sirain mo na lang kaya ang sarili mo, i-joke mo ang sarili mo, wala pang makakasakit, sarili mo jino-joke mo eh,” he added.
