Comelec spox says COC filers are to blame if pre-filing rallies turn out to be super-spreader events

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Supporters of Filipino Senator Manny Pacquiao gather outside the Sofitel Hotel, where the newly-retired boxing icon will deposit his certificate of candidacy for president, in Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines on October 1, 2021 (Reuters / Eloisa Lopez)

The Elections Commission has warned aspiring politicians to encourage potential COVID-19 super-diffuser events if they allow mass rallies of their supporters when filing nomination papers.

Comelec spokesman James Jimenez tweeted the warning to his account on Tuesday, where he has gained more than 100 likes, 20 retweets and around four comments so far.

“Politicians who allow mass rallies of their supporters are the only ones to blame if their rallies before the COC filing turn out to be super-diffusers,” he wrote.

Some Twitter accounts commented on the names of some wannabes, claiming they were supposedly guilty of the initiative.

“There is @MannyPacquiao, to blame for the spread of the veerus,” one Twitter user said.

“Isko that’s it !!!” claimed another user online.

Earlier this week, alleged images of crowds supporting aspiring presidential senator Manny Pacquiao near Manila Bay surfaced on Reddit.

It was released two days after the retired boxer tabled his COC for president in the 2022 election.

The mayor of Manila, Isko Moreno Domagoso, another presidential contender, was also greeted by his supporters on the day he was filed with the COC.

Supporters of Davao Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio have also been spotted in Pasay City despite his COC candidacy for a third term as local chief executive in his family’s hometown.

The Department of Health requires everyone to be at least one meter away from everyone. This is almost equivalent to the length of a motorcycle.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Protection said individuals should observe at least 6 feet or about an arm’s length of each other to mitigate the risk.

Social distancing, also known as physical distancing, means keeping a safe space between you and other people who are not in your household, its website says.

Recent studies indicate that people who are infected but do not have symptoms likely also play a role in the spread of COVID-19. Since people can spread the virus before they know they are sick, it is important to stay at least 6 feet from others when possible, even if you or they are not having any symptoms, he said. added.

COVID-19 is spread by aerosols and respiratory droplets emitted by speaking, shouting, singing, coughing and sneezing.

Strict practice of physical distancing measures is one of the ways to mitigate the spread of the virus which has a high transmission rate, especially the Delta variant.

Experts said observing such a preventative measure is crucial to flatten the curve or drastically reduce the number of infections in a community so that the health system is not overburdened.

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