Urdaneta guards vs illegal posting of campaign materials
URDANETA CITY—Don’t create mess in our city.
The city government formed teams composed of barangay officials for its Task Force Bantay Pangkalikasan to monitor and closely watch the posting of campaign materials of national and local candidates in the city for the May elections
A city ordinance deputized Sangguniang Barangay officials and tanods to ensure that candidates and their supporters post campaign paraphernalia only in designated common poster areas or be fined for “messing” the city.
The provincial board approved last week the city ordinance passed in February by the city council ensuring the holding of a clean, green and safe election in Urdaneta.
The ordinance, authored jointly by Councilors Franco Paolo Del Prado Sr. and Mark Joseph Andrada, states that the city aims to preserve its status as “the cleanest, greenest and safest city in Region 1” for two years in a row.
Under Commission on Election (Comelec) rules, candidates are prohibited from posting, pasting or painting on waiting sheds and walls, whether in public or private property unless with the consent of the owner.
Candidates are also banned from hanging their campaign materials on sidewalks and lamp posts, electric posts and wires, traffic signage, main thoroughfares, highways, public or private schools, churches or chapels, shrines, health centers, terminals, public utility vehicles, trees and all public lands unless designated as a common poster area.
The penalty for violation of the city ordinance shall be P500, P1,000 and P1,500 for the first, second and third offenses, respectively, imprisonment of three days, or both fine and imprisonment at the discretion of the court.
The authors of the ordinance said that while it is the primary duty of the Comelec to supervise or regulate the use of campaign materials, “it is the people’s shared responsibility as a local government unit to protect the integrity of their territory from the onslaught of campaign paraphernalia randomly placed in every nook and cranny of the city.”.—Eva Visperas
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