Mayor Vico Sotto on Wednesday made it clear that all candidates for the upcoming elections are allowed to hold campaign activities in Pasig City.
"As I've said before, Pasig is open for campaign activities of all candidates, national and local," said Sotto in a statement.
According to Sotto, a permit will be granted for campaign activities as long as the venue proposed is allowed and the event is properly coordinated with relevant authorities.
"Our City Administrator's approval of permits [is] AUTOMATIC, as long as the venue is allowed and it is properly coordinated for safety/security reasons."
"Karapatan po ito ng mga kandidato at maganda rin pong nakikita at napakikinggan sila ng mamayang Pasigueño."
(It is the right of candidates and it is good that Pasigueños can see and listen to them.)
The mayor issued the statement after circulating rumors that he was not granting permits for campaign activities, adding that they seem to come from the local level.
"May mga gumawa ng kwento na hindi daw ako nagbigay ng permit, pero meron naman talaga," he said. "Mukhang hindi sa nasyonal nagmula ang kwento kundi dito lang sa lokal. Sana honest mistake lang."
(Some people made stories that I am not granting permits, even though I did. It seems like this did not come from the national level, but this is a story locally. I hope it’s just an honest mistake.)
Just this Sunday, Pasig City's Emerald Avenue was the recent venue of the massive campaign rally for running-mates Leni Robredo and Francis Pangilinan, which reportedly had over 100,000 participants.
The campaign period for the local elections is set to begin tomorrow, March 25. The campaign period for national candidates started much earlier on February 8.
