There is a need for new guidelines for the upcoming elections due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Marikina City Mayor Marcelino “Marcy” Teodoro said this on Monday (July 12) as he noted that mass gatherings during election season are considered as “super spreader events.”
“Talagang kailangan ng guidelines na susundan. Hindi maaaring business as usual tayo sa election dahil iba na eh, narito yung pandemya. Hindi naman mawawala ito (We really need guidelines. It can’t be business as usual during the election season because of the pandemic. This will not go),” Teodoro said in a radio interview.
“Hindi ibig sabihin na pagdating ng Mayo, kung kailangan mag election eh mawawala ito. Hindi, narito na ito ( It does not mean that the virus will disappear in May because it is election season. No, it will not),” he added.
The mayor said the government should listen to health experts on the guidelines that should be imposed during election season.
On October 1, the one-week filing of certificates of candidacy (COCs) for the elective positions for the national and local elections on May 9, 2022 will begin.