• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) urged candidates and their supporters not to nail campaign materials on trees and electric posts as the campaign period for national candidates kicked off yesterday.
The appeal was made by Lionel Marco Castillano, Comelec regional director for Negros Island Region, as they simultaneously started the island-wide “Operation Baklas” campaign of removing campaign materials of senatorial and party-list candidates posted outside of the designated areas.
“In case of emergency, personnel of power distribution utilities may find it difficult to act on it immediately because of campaign materials placed on electrical poles,” Castillano said.
Ian Lee Ananoria, provincial elections supervisor of Negros Occidental, also appealed to candidates not to place their posters on trees as it is “environmentally unsound”.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has repeatedly said that hammering a nail into a tree will slowly kill it, he noted.
Ananoria said that a representative from the local prosecutor’s office will assist them in the “Operation Baklas” for filing of complaints against violators.
Moreover, Castillano said that campaign materials are also being prohibited for nailing in waiting shed, public building, barangay halls and other public places not identified as common poster areas.
However, they cannot implement “Operation Baklas” in private properties, he added.
Based on the initial monitoring, Castillano said the election offices in the region have complied with the instructions to start “Operation Baklas” in their respective areas.
Meanwhile, Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson called on candidates to respect each other while campaigning as he received reports of tarpaulins being vandalized and torn.
“While tarpaulins don’t win the elections, I think it is very important for candidates to respect each other,” he added.
Lacson said that though he expects that the campaign period will be noisy, he would think that Negros Occidental will have peaceful elections. | GB
