SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union (PIA) – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) in the Ilocos Region is set to begin removing oversized campaign posters and those placed outside designated areas ahead of the official start of the national candidates’ campaign period.
Lawyer Reddy Balarbar, assistant regional election officer for Comelec Ilocos, announced that a briefing with campaign coordinators will take place before February 11 as part of the “Oplan Baklas” initiative to enforce the removal of unauthorized materials.
“We will meet with the coordinators of the candidates to orient them about the poster rules so they won’t be having a hard time looking for places to post the campaign materials,” Balarbar said over an episode of the Philippine Information Agency’s Kapihan sa Ilocos.
Republic Act No. 9006, or the Fair Election Act, authorizes the candidates to display their election paraphernalia in common poster areas such as plazas, barangay halls, public markets, basketball and covered courts, parks, gymnasiums, and street corners, among others.
On the other hand, it is prohibited to hang and pin campaign materials in unauthorized spots like on electrical posts and trees.
Coordinators may secure the full list of common poster areas from Comelec offices.
The prescribed poster size for a candidate must not exceed two by three feet.
Balarbar also noted that streamers with three-by-eight foot sizes are allowed during campaign rallies.
“The three-by-eight feet posters can only be displayed for five days; then they have to remove them after the rally,” he said.
Campaign materials must also bear the note, ‘paid for by,’ along with the name of the payor and his/her address.
Balarbar urged candidates and their supporters to adhere to prescribed campaign material sizes and designated posting places, as the COMELEC will strictly enforce the election rules and guidelines.
Under the Omnibus Election Code, any person found guilty of any election offense shall be punished with imprisonment of not less than one year but not more than six years, shall be disqualified from holding public office, and shall be deprived of the right to vote.
Meanwhile, Comelec noted that campaign materials posted on private properties, with consent of owners, are beyond the jurisdiction of the commission. (AMB/CGCC, PIA Region 1)
