SIX dump trucks of election materials were collected by the Davao City Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro) on Tuesday, May 14, a day after the 2019 midterm elections.
The trash loaded into the trucks included campaign posters, flyers, and other campaign paraphernalia.
Cenro chief Marivic Reyes said Wednesday, May 15, they are continuously collecting these items, of which others may be recycled.
"Ang marecycle amo hipuson. Ang dili na, kay gagmay man pud ang uban ug gisi na mao to amo ilabay (Recycable items will be set aside while those that have been torn and smaller pieces will be thrown out)," Reyes told SunStar Davao through text.
"In terms of volume, gamay ra ni kay gaan man ug daghan pud ang mga kahoy-kahoy nga giframe, maong dali dayon napuno ang truck (However, it is light in terms of volume. It is wood used to frame the paraphernalias that filled the dumptrucks)," she added.
Meanwhile, Reyes said candidates should assist Cenro in removing their campaign materials, especially those posted on the walls, to make the clean up much faster.
She also guaranteed that her office will not stop until all election paraphernalia will be properly disposed.
Krisna Samantha Caballero, Commission on Elections (Comelec)-Davao chair of the City Board of Canvassers, said it is the responsibility of the candidates, both winning and losing, to remove their campaign materials.
"Kung ano nilagay nila, dapat tanggalin nila. Hindi lang sa nanalo, pati sa natalong kandidato (It is the responsibility of both the winning and losing candidates to remove whatever they have posted). We have to make it as an example if we want change," Caballero said Tuesday evening, May 14, right after the proclamation ceremony at the City Council.
Interface Development Interventions (Idis) also made the same call, adding that local candidates who are pro-environment should fulfill their promises by starting to clean up what they have posted.
“Since nag-positive man sila, nga gusto nila ma-okay ang waste segregation, bantayan namo ‘tong mga candidates na wala pa mi-tanggal sa ilang campaign posters (Since their answers were affirmative regarding waste segregation, we will be monitoring those candidates who haven’t removed their campaign posters),” Idis policy advocacy officer Rain Catague said Tuesday, May 14.
Catague said Idis is also lobbying for a specific area for designated poster area, similar to Japan.