The Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Negros Oriental on Monday called on national candidates and their supporters to strictly follow the guidelines on campaign materials and other activities in relation to the May 9 elections.
Lawyer Lionel Marco Castillano, Comelec provincial election supervisor, told the Philippine News Agency in an interview that they do not want campaign materials, especially oversized posters, to be plastered everywhere as the campaign period for national candidates starts on Tuesday.
He said aside from being oversized, these campaign posters are also being nailed on trees, electric poles, and business and private structures which are outside of the Comelec-designated common poster areas.
Castillano appealed to the candidates and their supporters not to wait for Comelec to take down these oversized posters and face charges for violation of election rules and regulations.
“For now, we will just document these by taking pictures and sending them to the law department of the Comelec central office, while giving time for the candidates to take them down,” he said.
The Comelec here is still awaiting instructions from the agency’s central office on the date for the simultaneous removal of unlawful campaign materials, he added.
“If we will take down the oversized posters, we will charge the expenses to the candidates,” the lawyer said in mixed English and Cebuano.
Meanwhile, Castillano said the Comelec campaign committees in the different towns and cities in Negros Oriental have been activated.
The election officers and the police, who jointly comprise these committees, have been briefed on the prohibited acts during the campaign period, as well as campaign activities that require prior permission from the poll body and/or the local government, he said.
For rallies in public places, the national candidate(s) or political party must acquire a mayor’s permit aside from a campaign permit from the regional Comelec campaign committee.
Motorcades and caravans also require a permit aside from other activities related to campaigning for the upcoming polls, Castillano said.
The Comelec official also emphasized that health protocols and other guidelines from the National Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) must also be strictly followed.
Source: Philippines News Agency
