THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) will launch a joint operation to remove illegal campaign materials.
Acting Cebu City South District Election Officer Marchel Sarno said Comelec employees in the cities and municipalities in Cebu will take part in the activity dubbed “Operation Baklas.”
In Cebu City, Sarno’s group will start removing oversized tarps outside common poster areas on Monday, April 8.
A second phase of “Operation Baklas” will take place with the participation of various government agencies like the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Public Works and Highways, Bureau of Fire Protection, Philippine National Police and the Department of Education.
According to the Fair Elections Act, a candidate cannot print campaign materials more than two feet by three feet.
Sarno urged ordinary citizens to help them remove illegal campaign materials since they lack the manpower to do it alone.
He also said he will also send letters to candidates, asking them to remove campaign materials that violate the law.
Violators face one year to six years imprisonment.
Common poster areas identified by the Comelec Cebu City are those near the barangay hall, public market, sports complex or the basketball court.
Sarno said they will not remove propaganda materials in private places provided the candidates have the owners’ consent.
In a related development, the revenue protection department of the Visayan Electric Company (Veco) started removing campaign posters from the company’s posts.
Section 7F of Comelec Resolution 10488 prohibits anyone “to post or display or exhibit any election campaign or propaganda material outside of common poster areas, in public places, or in private properties without the consent of the owner.”
“Veco is appealing to the candidates and their supporters to heed the Comelec resolution and keep our poles free from campaign materials,” said Anton Mari Perdices, Veco’s executive vice president and chief operating officer. (FROM PAC, HBL OF SUPERBALITA CEBU / KAL)