DAVAO CITY – Vice presidential candidate Mayor Sara Duterte has prohibited all political caravans and motorcades in vote-rich Davao City, the stronghold of the Duterte family.
Based on Executive Order No. 10 released on Monday, March 7, among the reasons cited for prohibiting these activities include the increasing cost of fuel, the inconvenience of traffic jams it will create, economic losses from the pandemic coupled with rising prices of basic commodities.
The campaign team of Duterte had recently launched a 28-day national caravan dubbed “Mahalin Natin ang Pilipinas Ride” for the whole month of February where the mayor and several supporters had traveled from Davao City to several cities, municipalities, and provinces in the country.
The order was issued to “provide guidelines in securing the requisite permit in the conduct of election campaign activities” until May 8, 2022, in connection with the national and local elections.
Section 1 provides that the city has partially adopted Commission on Elections (Comelec) Resolution No. 10732, Series of 2021, except for Section 16 that provides for guidelines on motorcades and caravans.
All political parties and organizers have been directed to coordinate with the appropriate Regional or District Election Officer for their activities, the executive order states.
It added that “no permit or application shall be filed with the City Government of Davao except to pay regulatory fees that may be required by law or ordinance.”
“The political activity under Resolution 10732 except Section 16 thereof shall be deemed approved immediately after payment of fees,” it said.
The siblings of the vice-presidential bet are facing contenders in the local elections, among them, development worker Mags Maglana and former 3rd District Representative Ruy Elias Lopez.
Lopez is running for mayor against incumbent Vice mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte while Maglana is running as representative for the city’s 1st District against Representative Paolo “Pulong” Duterte. The two candidates are seeking to end the more than three-decade rule of the Duterte family here.