BACOLOD City – Central Negros Electric Cooperative (Ceneco) has banned election campaign materials from its electric poles.
“This is for safety reasons,” said Ceneco officer-in-charge Jose Taniongon.
The prohibited materials included but not limited to posters, streamers and tarpaulins.
According to Taniongon, Ceneco reserves the right to remove campaign materials hanging, nailed or posted on its electric poles.
These materials could become obstructions during emergency maintenance, he said.
Earlier, a clearing operation was conducted at the Bacolod Public Plaza and major roads to remove campaign materials mostly seen hanging on poles and trees.
In a recent interview, Commission on Elections (Comelec) Region 6 director Atty. Wilfred Jay Balisado said the election period has started but the official campaign period for the May 9, 2022 elections has yet to commence, thus the poll body could not yet impose the rules on campaign posters, streamers and tarpaulins.
The campaign period for national candidates (president, vice president, senator, and party-list) starts on Feb. 8 while that for local candidates is on March 25.
Once the campaign period starts, Comelec will deem as illegal the posters, streamers and tarpaulins displayed outside of the designated campaign poster areas, and would remove them.
The only exemptions are posters, streamers and tarpaulins displayed in private properties and have the consent of the owners of these properties.
At the moment, said Balisado, they could do nothing against campaign posters, streamers and tarpaulins on trees, public buildings or infrastructure such as barangay halls and covered courts, among others./PN
