THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Negros Oriental is awaiting final instructions for a regionalized and synchronized removal of illegal posters and other campaign materials as the May 13 midterm election draws nearer.

Lawyer Eliseo Labaria, provincial election supervisor of Negros Oriental, said Monday, February 11, that they have agreed to conduct the activity on a regional basis.

He said they have monitored campaign materials in Dumaguete City that are not of the size prescribed by the poll body.

“We have seen that there are many big tarpaulins that have been put up and we will have those that are not of the required size taken down soon,” he said in Cebuano.

At the start of the campaign period for senators and other national level positions on Tuesday, February 12, many illegal campaign materials were already seen around Dumaguete City, the provincial capital, and elsewhere in the province, Labaria said.

These not only violate the prescribed size, they are also not in the Comelec-designated common poster areas, he explained.

Labaria urged the political candidates and those working for them on the campaign trail to refer to the Comelec guidelines on the proper types of election campaign materials to avoid facing legal cases in the future.

Meanwhile, he said they are also urging candidates at the national level to coordinate with proper authorities for the conduct of political rallies here so that the necessary security can be provided.

Labaria said so far, no one has asked his office for a permit for a political rally although he anticipates there will be requests for it in the coming weeks, considering the short time allotted for campaigning. (PNA)