CEBU CITY — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has filed a disqualification case against Jose Daluz III, who is running for Cebu City vice mayor, for allegedly violating rules on campaign materials for the May 12 midterm elections.
Daluz, running mate of mayoral candidate Raymond Alvin Garcia, is among the 24 individuals nationwide fac-ing complaints from Comelec’s Task Force Baklas for failing to remove illegally posted campaign materials despite multiple notices.
Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia said on Wednesday, that the complaints were lodged before the commission’s legal department after the candidates ignored several directives to take down their campaign materials placed in prohibited areas.
He noted that despite official acknowledgment of the notices, the materials remained posted, prompting the task force to proceed with filing the case.
Garcia explained that the Comelec would not proclaim any candidate with a pending disqualifi-cation case if the evidence is strong and the complaint has merit.
Once proclaimed, jurisdiction over the candidate would shift to the electoral tribunal, he said.
Daluz, a former Cebu City councilor and former chairman of the Metropolitan Cebu Water District board, is running under the Kusug Panaghiusa coalition.
Under Comelec Resolution 10924, campaign posters must not exceed 2-by-3 feet and must be posted only in designated common poster areas.
Materials displayed on trees, electric posts, public infrastructure or outside private properties without consent are prohibited.