BAGUIO CITY, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles, Baguio Bureau) – It’s election campaign season in the Philippines and with it comes the gun ban and the liquor ban.  The Summer Capital takes it a step further: it has decreed  that all political candidates are off limits all throughout the Holy Week which starts today, Palm Sunday. The ban ends rhe Monday after Easter Sunday.

Baguio City expects some 100,000 tourists to come up this week to escape the scorching weather in the lowlands.

As expected, political candidates, especially those running for national office— the  Senatoriables — would want to take advantage of this unique opportunity to court votes for the May 13 elections.

Enter the Catholic Diocese of Baguio, along with the pious officials of the city government.

In a joint decree which has the full effect of law, the two groups have declared that political candidates must not be seen in public all week so that tourists can focus on their Lenten obligations and shopping sprees without any distraction from political campaigners.

Political candidates who show up in Baguio this week will be given citations and be subject to flagellation  in front of the Baguio Cathedral, in keeping with Filipino Catholic  Lenten tradition.

Leave it to Baguio to create its own rules. No smokimg in public. No cussing in public. No campaigning in public.