Comelec en banc grants Robredo office's petition to resume projects amid election ban — Garcia

Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner George Garcia on Wednesday said that the en banc has granted the petitions of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and several other government agencies and local government units (LGUs) to continue their projects and programs throughout the campaign period for Eleksyon 2022.

"In an executive session  today, the en banc granted the petition for exception  of the Office of the Vice President of certain projects and programs during the 45-day period of the campaign," Garcia said, according to GMA News reporter Tina Panganiban-Perez.

Garcia also said that some petitions for exception were either denied or granted partially. The resolutions and further details about the petitions will be released within the day, he added.

Vice President Leni Robredo's spokesperson Barry Gutierrez welcomed the poll body's decision.

"We thank the Comelec en banc for their action on the OVP's request. This will ensure that Angat Buhay projects which have helped hundreds of thousands of Filipinos in the past six years can continue to bring hope to communities all over the Philippines," he said in a statement.

The OVP's COVID-19 initiatives were temporarily halted last month as the campaign period for Eleksyon 2022 candidates running for national positions officially began on February 8.

Robredo, who is vying for a presidential seat in the May 9 polls, said the OVP had filed a petition before the Comelec to allow the office, not her specifically, to continue the pandemic response even during the campaign period. She also said that she wanted to isolate the programs from politics.  —Giselle Ombay and Llanesca Panti/KG/VBL, GMA News