THE Department of the Interior and Local Government has given all local government units (LGUs) and candidates three days to remove and dispose of all campaign waste materials.
“Clean-up of election litter is the first order of business after the polls. Aside from incumbent LGU officials, we urge all candidates, winners and non-winners alike, to take it upon themselves to lead in the removal of their campaign materials,” DILG Secretary Eduardo Año said in a statement Thursday, May 12, 2022.
In an advisory to local chief executives (LCEs), Año urged the disposal of election propaganda materials in line with environmental laws and local ordinances against illegal dumping, open burning and littering.
He called for the use of material recovery facilities to collect and restore reusable materials as well as the use of safe methods to recycle or upcycle reusable campaign waste materials.
According to Año, more than 168.84 tons of campaign materials were collected in the 2019 midterm elections.
In Cebu City, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has also urged candidates in the May 9 national and local elections to voluntarily remove their campaign posters and tarpaulins.
Marilou Paredes, acting election officer of Comelec Cebu City South District, said Wednesday, May 11, that the candidates should take the initiative to take down the campaign materials they installed during the campaign period.
Paredes said they had not received any order from Comelec's central office to conduct another "Oplan Baklas" or a massive cleanup drive after the conduct of the election.
"Hinaot unta nga ma konsensya sila nga ila nang panangtangon, kadaghan na ra ba," said Paredes. (I wish they would have a conscience and already remove their campaign materials.)
During a press conference on Wednesday, Mayor Michael Rama said he would set up a task force that will be assigned to the post-election clean-up drive.
Rama, who won a fresh term as mayor, added that he will instruct his campaign team who installed the posters and tarpaulins to remove them.
The mayor added that the winning candidates under the Partido Barug-PDP Laban should also help in removing the campaign materials.
Rama also encouraged those who did not win in the elections to also voluntarily remove their posters.
"When I had my debacle, I cleaned the city. I joined my group because losing should not stop anyone from serving. If you want to serve your city and you love your city, be the solution," said Rama.
Lawyer John Jigo Dacua, head of the Department of Public Services, told SunStar Cebu that they have collected around 4.5 tons of garbage from the schools in the city that served as voting centers during the elections.
Dacua said their team had also started removing the campaign materials on Tuesday, May 10, 2022. (IRT, CTL)