Philippine vote campaign starts amid violence and virus fears

Confetti drops as Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte, center, and her party launches their campaign in Quezon City, Philippines on Friday, March 25, 2022. Candidates for thousands of provincial, town and congressional posts started campaigning across the Philippines Friday under tight police watch due to a history of violent rivalries and to enforce a lingering pandemic ban on handshakes, hugging and tightly packed crowds that are a hallmark of often circus-like campaigns. - AP

MANILA, March 25 (AP): Candidates for Philippine congressional seats and thousands of smaller races started campaigning Friday with police watching closely due to past violence and to enforce a pandemic ban on handshakes, hugging and tightly packed crowds that are a hallmark of the country’s often circus-like campaigns.

Campaigning for the presidency and other high-profile races began last month. Nearly 66 million Filipinos in the country and more than 1.6 million abroad have registered to vote in the May 9 elections for more than 18,000 local government and congressional posts.