MANILA -- The legal department of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has sent notices to national candidates that have violated campaign guidelines with its illegaly-placed and oversized materials.
Director Ferdinand Rafanan has ordered the said national candidates to take down their unlawful campaign materials within three days upon receipt of the notice.
Copies of the illegal paraphernalia were attached in the letters.
"We have sent notices to violators and we said that upon receipt of the notice, they should have taken down their illegal billboards and posters. If they do not remove these, it is just proper to conclude that they benefit from these materials," Rafanan told Sun.Star.
"Otherwise, appropriate actions such as disqualification proceeding, election offense cases will be instituted against you including the imposition of appropriate penalty/fine for the removal of the illegally posted campaign materials," the letter addressed to the candidates read.
Last week, the education and information department reported candidates to have been violating campaign rules.
Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said the team they dispatched saw and documented huge billboards and streamers of candidates Sen. Noynoy Aquino (Roxas Blvd. cor Vito Cruz), Gilbert Teodoro (Edsa Southbound), Joseph Estrada and Jejomar Binay (Edsa North Ave., PhilAm), Sen. Richard Gordon and Bayani Fernando (Edsa Cubao, and in Shell North Luzon Tollway, Barangay Burol Balagtas, Bulacan), Sen. Manuel Villar and Sen. Lito Lapid (EDSA cor. Reliance st.), Atty. JV Bautista (EDSA near Nepa Q-Mart), and Rey Langit (in front of MMDA Office near Edsa Guadalupe).(Kathrina Alvarez/Sunnex)