MALACAÑANG on Friday reminded Aquino Cabinet officials who are planning to run in 2016 to obey election laws.
Communications Secretary Herminio B. Coloma Jr., in an interview with DWIZ, also addressed calls for Cabinet officials planning to file their candidacies in the coming elections for president and congressional races to resign their posts now, to avert charges that they are using public funds to promote their campaigns.
Coloma clarified, however, that potential candidates in the Aquino Cabinet, including Interior Secretary Manuel A. Roxas II, Director General Joel J. Villanueva of the Technical Education Skills and Development Authority and Energy Secretary Jericho L. Petilla, among others, still have a job to do before formally filing their candidacies.
“Unang-una, kinakailangan iyung patuloy na paghahatid ng mahalagang serbisyo publiko,” he said. “Kaya kung ang tinutukoy natin ay mga miyembro ng Gabinete, eh dapat lang na sa lahat ng panahon 100 percent ang kanilang serbisyo na naayon sa mandato ng kanilang tanggapan.”
This means, Coloma said, that the performance of their assigned tasks should not be tainted with political color, and these potential candidates should not allow the campaign to affect their effectivity in delivering public service.
“Ibig sabihin, hindi dapat haluan ng kulay pulitika o ng pagkakampanya na makabawas doon sa kanilang pagiging epektibo.”
Coloma added that public officials are also bound to comply with the law preventing abuse of public office.
“Dapat din ay tumalima sa diwa ng Election Code kahit na, technically, wala pa namang kandidatong maituturing dahil hindi pa naman nagpa-file ng certificate of candidacy,” he said, adding: “Hindi rin dapat gamitin iyong public office sa pangangampanya o pamumulitika, ganung hindi pa naman nag-uumpisa iyong opisyal na panahon ng kampanya.”
Under the law, public officials holding appointive positions in the Executive branch are required to resign only upon filing their certificates of candidacy, in effect allowing potential candidates to remain in office even if they are already being seen “campaigning in the guise of performing their duties.”
But the same rule does not apply to elected officials with fixed terms who are seeking to run for other positions at stake in either the national or local election races.