BACOLOD City – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) in this city commenced its “Oplan Baklas” operation yesterday, February 11 – the start of the 90-day campaign period for senators and party-lists for the May 12 midterm elections.
Atty. Revo Sorbito, acting election officer for Bacolod City, said the removal of illegally placed campaign materials kicked off along the national road of Barangay Singcang-Airport.
Sorbito said they will make an inventory of the illegal campaign materials they have taken down and submit it to the Comelec central office for proper action.
The acting election officer said the Comelec designated common poster areas in all barangays here.
An earlier data from the Comelec-Negros Island Region showed that at least 111 areas across this city have been listed, where legal campaign materials can be posted, displayed or exhibited during the campaign period.
Identified areas include places beside barangay halls and tanod outposts, plazas, basketball and covered courts, gymnasiums, parks, vacant lots, perimeter fences, entrance of residential subdivisions, in front of churches and police stations and street corners.
Meanwhile, Comelec Region 6 director Atty. Dennis Ausan urged candidates, along with their campaign leaders and supporters, to strictly adhere to the rules and regulations concerning the placement of campaign materials.
Ausan specifically highlighted the proper size of campaign materials, such as posters, which must be displayed in designated common poster areas or on private properties with the owner’s consent.
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./PN
