COMELEC-NIR Vows to Act on Illegal Campaign Materials

The Commission on Elections in the Negros Island Region committed to act on the proliferation of illegal campaign materials.

Atty. Lionel Marco Castillano, COMELEC regional director, on Monday said they will document those who are violating and will report to their national office who will then decide against the culprits.

Violators will either face charges for the “election offense or disqualification,” he said.

Castillano clarified that currently they are not conducting “Oplan Baklas” as they are busy conducting training of members of the electoral board.

Posters of national candidates can be seen along the national highways with many of which areceven oversized.

Considered unlawful campaign materials are individual posters, billboards, posters, and tarpaulins exceeding 2×3 feet; collage-like poster exceeding 2×3 feet; and posters with single letters of names, when assembled together to form a size exceeding 2×3 feet.

Also prohibited are propaganda materials that are not in designated common poster areas, which are plazas, markets, barangay centers, and other similar places, where posters may be readily seen or read and with the heaviest pedestrian and/or vehicular traffic in the city or municipality.

The Comelec announced that it has dismantled more than 100,000 campaign materials of national candidates as part of the intensified crackdown against illegal campaign materials.

As of February 28, a total of 124,365 posters have been removed, COMELEC Chairman George Erwin Garcia said.*