Election fever is on. Those running for national offices have already their materials seen all over the place this early*along the highways, church fences and premises, residential houses and even trees. If only these trees could shout out loud the way these thrash are crucified on their trunks, twigs and leaves mercilessly carrying the weight of posters, flyers that they would have probably intoned fire and brimstones to fall on the culprit.
Why not? After all, such eyesores are blatant violation of Comelec’s earlier pronouncement that as much as possible, we should spare those innocent trees from forcing them to become accomplices of our political ambition.
Poems are made by fools like me but only God can make a tree! Don’t you recall that classic poem about trees? Think of the pain you suffer when part of your body is pierced and pricked. That’s how they must have felt.
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Good grief to concerned agencies for practicing what they preach. This column’s therefore wish to congratulate Cagayan de Oro Comelec for having done their job well in removing illegal posters mounted along the airport road and trees by abusive trapos. It’s political will at work here, sending strong message to concerned candidates and their handlers that order should be observed when mounting election materials or faces the punishment as the law provided.
Here’s another challenge to the regional Comelec office and concerned local officials and see if they’re on what they officially pronounced and stand for. I recently went to Iligan all the way to MSU and back to Cagayan de Oro riding on my KMX-125 to attend meeting at the Philippine Science High School in Baloi, Lanao del Norte and MSU.
What sight to behold! Rainbows of election materials are all you would find in as many places as far as your eyes can see. I wonder as it is election time, the streamer capital of the Philippines seems to be extended from Marawi all the way down to Cagayan de Oro City.
The road was simply converted into a sea of flyers, streamers, tarpaulin, posters introducing candidates to all motorists. What now concerned election officials? Can we pull our punches here or never mind na lang for fear of reprisals and repercussions from the powers-that-be?
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There’s of course commercial big billboards sprouting everywhere like mushrooms. Owners are even bent in capturing bigger market as they use huge structures for such enticing offer and call: Space limited. And what about the huge tarpaulins and streamers covering public structures like the overpass from Bulua, Lapasan to Puerto? It’s good to know the resourcefulness of our barangay officials to generate additional income. But what good does it give when its original intention is lost? What if our overpasses become magnet of petty crimes as the entire place they are wrapped with cell phone ads? Cheers for Iligan City Council for preserving the beauty of their overpasses, even enhancing them in fact with flower pots.
So where would we now go from here? Pubic officials: It’s your turn.
(rfmaulion@yahoo.com)