Hues of Palacio del Gobernador lights to be replaced amid partisan suspicion

February 18, 2022 - 4:32 PM
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This undated 2016 photo shows Palacio del Gobernador in Intramuros, Manila where the Commission on Elections office is. (Philstar.com/Rosette Adel, file)

The Intramuros Administration is currently working on replacing the lights in front of the poll body’s main headquarters, according to Commission on Elections spokesperson James Jimenez.

Some Twitter users earlier called the poll body’s attention over red and green lights at the Palacio del Gobernador building, where Comelec’s main office is also located.

They perceived the colors to be promoting electoral candidates for the 2022 polls.

In response to one of the Twitter users, Jimenez said that the building’s administration is already planning to replace these lights with differently colored ones.

“The COMELEC is a tenant in that building, which is under the management of Office of the President. I have been told that the building’s administration is planning to swap out these ones for differently colored lights,” he said.

A user prodded further on why the administration seemed to be careless in choosing the colors for the lights.

“Pero isn’t the building admins non careful in choosing of color? Like they must know the season the Philippines is in and also the COMELEC office is in that building,” a Twitter user asked.

Jimenez also replied to this tweet and wrote: “Right. They should be more mindful. When this was pointed out to them, they immediately moved to rectify.”

The poll spokesperson also assured the public that the Intramuros Administration itself is working on replacing the lights.

Before the complaints on Palacio del Gobernador lights, Twitter users also questioned some individuals attending a proclamation rally who were spotted wearing T-shirts that bear the logo of the Department of Health.

There were also photos that showed mascots of electoral candidates that guested at a vaccination event.

READ: Individuals wearing health agency shirt during campaign rally not their employees, DOH says 

The DOH later clarified that the individuals in the photo of a campaign rally were barangay health workers who work under local government units.

These are not DOH employees.

The agency further explained that the shirts and other paraphernalia with the DOH logo must have come from their health promotion campaigns and outreach programs.

“Due to the Department’s various health promotion campaigns and outreach programs on the ground, the DOH and its partners have produced and distributed a multitude of shirts and paraphernalia bearing the DOH logo, to health and non-health workers alike, those covered under CSC rules and otherwise,” DOH said in a statement.

Government officers and employees, on the other hand, are prohibited to engage in partisan political activities under Section 2 of the Civil Service Commission of the 1987 Constitution.

“No officer or employee in the civil service shall engage, directly or indirectly, in any electioneering or partisan political campaign,” the provision reads.