Comelec: Crackdown on illegal campaign materials starts Feb. 11

Comelec Chairperson George Erwin Garcia (File Photo: COMELEC/Facebook)

By Ferdinand Patinio, Philippine News Agency

MANILA – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will commence its “Oplan Baklas” or the removal of illegal campaign materials on Tuesday, the start of the 90-day campaign period for national positions.

Comelec Chairperson George Garcia said the operation would initially be held in the city of Manila, particularly in Tondo district.

Participants will assemble at the Palacio del Gobernador in Intramuros, Manila at 4 a.m.

The poll body chief will lead the event together with other Comelec officials, representatives from the Philippine National Police, Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Metro Manila Development Authority, Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting, National Movement for Free Elections, Legal Network for Truthful Elections, among others.

At the same time, Garcia reminded candidates running for senatorial posts and groups participating in party-list polls to be wary and respect campaign rules set by the Commission.

“The campaign starts at 12 o’clock in the morning, I want to remind candidates to respect the sleeping time of voters, and not to start campaigning during wee hours, not at 2 o’clock in the morning. Tomorrow, we will also start our Operation Plan Baklas,” he said in a radio interview.

During the operation, the poll body and partner agencies will be dismantling campaign posters illegally posted on areas that are not designated common poster areas or other public places.

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.

Aside from the ‘Oplan Baklas’, the Comelec will also start monitoring political advertisements on television, radio and print media.

“The number of minutes in which the candidates’ political advertisements can appear starts tomorrow. I repeat on television, they only have 120 minutes per station, in the entire 90 days campaign. On radio, they have 180 minutes per station in the whole 90-day campaign,” he said.

He added candidates belonging to a political party are only allowed to spend PHP3 per voter while independent bets are allowed to spend PHP5 per voter.