MANILA -- The poll body has identified seven areas in Luzon that are cluttered with different election paraphernalia from candidates running in the May 2010 polls.
The education and information department of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) found Caloocan, Marikina, Bulacan, Navotas, Quezon City, Manila, and Las Pinas to be the most cluttered cities from election materials.
The campaign period kicked off last February 9 and will run until May 8, two days before election day.
Under the campaign guidelines issued by the commission, a three-man task force is assigned to tear down and remove illegal election materials outside common poster areas.
The task force will be composed of the election officer (EO) as chairman, the Station Commander of the Philippine National Police (PNP) as vice chairman and a third member belonging to any of the deputized agencies of the Commission.
“The election officers are required and mandated to cleanse the cities where there is unauthorized election paraphernalia. They have to inform the candidates that these election paraphernalia have to be taken down or if not, we are authorized to take it down,” said Comelec Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal.
The election officer is tasked to issue a notice to candidates who will be caught campaigning illegally. After three days, the candidate and his camp should have already removed the illegal campaign material.
Candidates may post their campaign materials in common poster areas or in private residences only.
“However, if you put in it private residences, it would still have conform to the size prescribed by law,” Larrazabal reminded. (Kathrina Alvarez/Sunnex)