• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
As the campaign period for local candidates starts on March 28, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said that campaign materials in barangay halls should be removed.
Lionel Marco Castillano, Comelec regional director for Negros Island Region, on Tuesday (March 25) warned barangay captains that they will be held liable, if they will not remove those.
Even if they are not candidates, they will still be held liable being the custodians of the barangay halls, he added.
Castillano said that violators will face the penalty of perpetual disqualification from whatever position in government.
The Comelec is set to launch a nationwide campaign to remove illegal election materials at the start of the local campaign period on Friday.
Under the “Grand Oplan Baklas”, Comelec will take down unlawful campaign materials mounted outside the designated common poster areas or other public places, especially on trees and electrical posts.
Castillano said that exempted from the nationwide operation are campaign materials inside private properties.
Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson called on candidates and their supporters to keep the campaign as “civil as possible” and respect the outcome of the elections.
Lacson also reminded incumbent officials seeking reelection to avoid putting their pictures and campaign materials in government-owned vehicles.
“If you’re out there to campaign, don’t use government vehicles. If you’re out there to visit your constituents because you’re launching a project, it’s okay,” he added.
Earlier this month, the Comelec sent notices of violation to 52 senatorial candidates and partylist groups for the illegal posting of campaign materials in Negros Occidental.
It also removed 4,570 illegally posted campaign materials of national candidates in Negros Occidental and Bacolod City from February 24 to March 8. | GB
