AS THE campaign period for national candidates kicked off Tuesday, February 12, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) 11 issued a stern warning to the candidates against committing offenses and reminded them of the proper placement of campaign materials.

“Reminder lang sa mga candidate to follow guidelines set by Comelec with regards sa tama na sukod sa mga campaign posters and tarpaulins and must be posted sa designated common poster areas,” Comelec-11 spokesperson Krisna Samantha Caballero said.

If the campaign materials will be posted in a private property, these must be with the consent of the owner and adherence to the permissible size.

The Comelec also urged the candidates to use eco-friendly or recyclable materials for their campaign materials and advised them on the allowable expenditures for their campaign which must be reflected on their Statements of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE) after the election.

The official 90-day campaign period for Senate and party-list positions is from February 12 up to May 11. The campaign period for local positions will be from March 29 to May 11.

The Comelec strictly prohibits the posting of campaign materials on trees, light posts, electrical wires, schools, waiting sheds, sidewalks, bridges, health centers, public structures, airports, seaports, subdivisions, vehicles, and the like.

As provided in the Republic Act No. 9006 or the Fair Elections Act, posters should measure 2 feet by 3 feet, while leaflets should measure 8.5 x 14 inches, and streamers should be 3 feet by 8 feet.

In fact, she said that they already have a team to oversee the implementation of Oplan Baklas for the posters placed in prohibited areas and those election propaganda that do not adhere to the prescribed size.

She added that candidates who committed election offenses will face not less than one year but not more than six years imprisonment without probation and will be facing perpetual disqualification to hold public office and right to suffrage suspension.

For his part, Davao City Police Office (DCPO) Police Senior Superintendent Alexander Tagum said that they are in full force in implementing the Comelec gun ban with all the checkpoints in place in strategic areas.