Authorities can stop campaign rallies without permit —DILG

Authorities can order the stoppage of campaign rallies that have no permit, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said Thursday.

Interviewed on GMA News’ Unang Balita, DILG spokesperson Jonathan Malaya said the concerned election officer is authorized to order the stoppage of the activity.

“Kung wala pong permit ay pwede pong pagbawalan. Puwede pong mag-utos ang election officer na pigilan ang kahit anumang campaign activity na walang kaukulang permiso,” he said.

Comelec campaign committees are in charge of granting permits for in-person political activities. They are composed of an election officer, city health officer, chief of police, military head, and DILG official.

The campaign period for national candidates for the 2022 polls started on Tuesday, February 8. According to the Philippine National Police, the first day of the campaigns was generally peaceful.

However, the PNP said they observed that social distancing protocol in light of the COVID-19 threat was violated in some campaign rallies. —LBG, GMA News