Article 11p. 11

OMNIBUS ELECTION CODE ELECTION LAWS, RULES AND PROCEDURES

constitute a demotion, either in rank or salary, nor result

in change of status: and Provided, further, That there shall

be

no

changes

in

the

composition,

distribution

or

assignment within thirty days before election, except for

cause and after due notice and hearing, and that in no

case shall a regional or assistant regional director be

assigned to a region; a provincial election supervisor to a

province; or a city or municipal election registrar to a city

or municipality, where he and/or his spouse are related to

any

candidate

within

the

fourth

civil

degree

of

consanguinity or affinity as the case may be.

Section 57. Measures to ensure enforcement. — For

the effective enforcement of the provisions of this Code,

the Commission is further vested and charged with the

following powers, duties and responsibilities:

1. To issue search warrants after examination under

oath or affirmation of the complainant and the witnesses

2. To stop any illegal election activity, or confiscate,

tear down, and stop any unlawful, libelous, misleading or

false election propaganda, after due notice and hearing.

3. To inquire into the financial records of candidates

and any organization or group of persons, motu proprio

or upon written representation for probable cause by any

candidate or group of

persons

or qualified voter, after due notice and

hearing.

For purposes of this section, the Commission may

avail itself of the assistance of the Commission on Audit,

the Central Bank, the National Bureau of Investigation,

the Bureau of Internal Revenue, the Armed Forces of the

Philippines,

the

Integrated

National

Police

of

the

Philippines, barangay officials, and other agencies of the

government.

Section 58. Disqualifications of members of the

Commission. — The chairman and members of the

Commission shall be subject to the canons of judicial

ethics in the discharge of their functions.

No chairman or commissioner shall sit in any case in

which he has manifested bias or prejudice for or against

or

antagonism

against

any

party

thereto

and

in

connection therewith, or in any case in which he would

be disqualified under the Rules of Court. If it be claimed

that the chairman or a commissioner is disqualified as

above provided, the party objecting to his competency

may file his objection in writing with the Commission

stating the ground therefor. The official concerned shall

continue to participate in the hearing or withdrawn

therefrom in accordance with his determination of the

question

of

his

disqualification.

The

decision

shall

forthwith be made in writing and filed with the other

papers of the case in accordance with the Rules of Court.

If a disqualification should result in a lack of quorum in

the Commission sitting en banc, the Presiding Justice of

the Intermediate Appellate Court shall designate a justice

of said court to sit in said case for the purpose of hearing

and reaching a decision thereon.

Section

59.

Publication

of

official

ballots

and

election

returns

and

printing

thereof.

—

The

Commission shall publish at least ten days before an

election in a newspaper of general circulation certified

data on the number of official ballots and election returns

and the names and addresses of the printers and the

number printed by each.

ARTICLE VIII POLITICAL PARTIES

Section 60. Political party. — "Political party" or

"party", when used in this Act, means an organized group

of persons pursuing the same ideology, political ideas or

platforms of government and includes its branches and

divisions. To acquire juridical personality, quality it for

subsequent accreditation, and to entitle it to the rights

and

privileges

herein

granted

to

political parties, a

political party shall first be duly registered with the

Commission. Any registered political party that, singly or

in coalition with others, fails to obtain at least ten percent

of

the

votes

cast

in

the

constituency

in

which

it

nominated and supported a candidate or candidates in

the election next following its registration shall, after

notice and hearing be deemed to have forfeited such

status as a registered political party in such constituency.

Section 61. Registration. — Any organized group of

persons seeking registration as a national or regional

political party may file with the Commission a verified

petition attaching thereto its constitution and by-laws,

platform or program of government and such other

relevant

information

as

may

be

required

by

the

Commission. The Commission shall, after due notice and

hearing, resolve the petition within ten days from the

date it is submitted for decision.

No religious sect shall be registered as a political

party and no political party which seeks to achieve its

goal through violence shall be entitled to accreditation.

Section 62. Publication of petition for registration or

accreditation.

—

The

Commission

shall

require

publication of the petition for registration or accreditation

in at least three newspapers of general circulation and

shall, after due notice and hearing, resolve the petition

within fifteen days from the date it is submitted for

decision.

ARTICLE IX ELIGIBILITY OF CANDIDATES AND

CERTIFICATE OF CANDIDACY

Section

63.

Qualifications

for

President

and

Vice-President of the Philippines. — No person may be

elected President unless he is a natural-born citizen of

the Philippines, a registered voter, able to read and write,

at least forty years of age on the day of election, and a

resident

of

the

Philippines

for

at

least

ten

years

immediately preceding such election.

Section

64.

Qualifications

for

Members

of

the

Batasang Pambansa. — No person shall be elected

Member of the Batasang Pambansa as provincial, city or

district representative unless he is a natural-born citizen

of the Philippines and, on the day of the election, is at

least twenty-five years of age, able to read and write, a

registered voter in the constituency in which he shall be

elected, and a resident thereof for a period of not less

than six months immediately preceding the day of the

election.

A sectoral representative shall be a natural-born

citizen of the Philippines, able to read and write, a

resident of the Philippines, able to read and write, a

resident of the Philippines for a period of not less than

one year immediately preceding the day of the election, a

bona fide member of the sector he seeks to represent,

and in the case of a representative of the agricultural or

industrial labor sector, shall be a registered voter, and on

the day of the election is at least twenty-five years of age.

The youth sectoral representative should at least be

eighteen and not be more than twenty-five years of age

on the day of the election: Provided, however, That any

youth sectoral representative who attains the age of

twenty-five years during his term shall be entitled to

continue in office until the expiration of his term.

Section 65. Qualifications of elective local officials.

— The qualifications for elective provincial, city, municipal

and barangay officials shall be those provided for in the

Local Government Code.

Section 66. Candidates holding appointive office or

positions. — Any person holding a public appointive

office or position, including active members of the Armed

Forces of the Philippines, and officers and employees in

government-owned or controlled corporations, shall be

considered ipso facto resigned from his office upon the

filing of his certificate of candidacy.

Section 67. Candidates holding elective office. —

Any elective official, whether national or local, running for

any office other than the one which he is holding in a

permanent

capacity,

except

for

President

and

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