“Be fair.”
This was the appeal of former Bacolod City councilor Caesar Distrito, who is now running for vice mayor, after their campaign materials were reportedly removed from various areas in the city over the weekend.
On Saturday, City Legal Office (CLO) Enforcement Team along with the Task Force Disiplina removed the tarpaulins of Asenso team, a group of Distrito, being hung at the entrance of the City Heights Subdivision in Barangay Taculing.
Distrito said it’s already the second time that their tarpaulins were removed by the members of the CLO.
He said the hanging of their campaign materials are not illegal since they were placed at the entrance of the private subdivision.
“We asked permission from the homeowners association to hang our tarpaulins there,” he stressed.
Distrito also wondered why only their tarpaulins were being removed, while some tarpaulins of “Halong Bacolod” and other national candidates that were hung in the electrical posts were not removed.
“Placing posters in private places covers the freedom of expression of the Filipino people. Hanging posters of the candidates is not illegal because based on the decision of the Supreme Court, there’s no premature campaigning,” he said, adding that “the candidates can hang posters as long as it’s not yet the time of the campaign period.”
The former councilor, who used to be a member of Grupo Progreso of incumbent Mayor Evelio Leonardia, said the city government should be fair in removing the tarpaulins because those materials were provided by their volunteers and supporters.
Last year, Distrito also cried foul over the removal of his tarpaulins in some areas in the city including those at the public plaza.
For his part, Wiflredo Geolingo, head of Task Force Disiplina, said they started removing the illegal posters in various areas in Bacolod City since last month.
He said those posters being hung at the electrical posts and trees were considered as illegal.
“We have an existing joint memorandum of agreement between the city government, Central Negros Electric Cooperative (Ceneco), Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO), and Department of the Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) regarding the illegal posting of tarpaulins in the city,” Geolingo said.
“Those posted in electrical posts and trees are considered illegal,” he said.
Geolingo explained that on Saturday, they received a complaint that the posters of Asenso Team were placed at the entrance of City Heights Subdivision and it covered the electrical wiring of Ceneco.
Geolingo noted that since last month, they have already removed about 4,000 illegal posters in various areas in the city and it included the posters of the national candidates being hung in electrical posts and trees.
“It’s not politics because we are removing all the posters placed in electrical posts and trees because it’s illegal,” Geolingo stressed.*