Abanse to create group to remove its illegal posters

Party-list group Abanse! Pinay will create a group that will remove its own posters placed in non-designated areas.

Lihok Filipina Foundation Inc. executive director and Abanse! Pinay first nominee Tessie Fernandez said they are planning to synchronize their move with that of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines-National Environmental Action Team, which recently signed a memorandum of agreement with the Commission on Elections for the removal of illegal campaign materials.

However, the IBP-NEAT and Comelec have already started their campaign against illegal posters, so the party-list group may have to go on with its own and remove all its campaign materials that are not placed in Comelec-designated common poster areas.

"We will go around and remove all our posters that are not in designated posters areas. Solid waste management advocate gud ta," Fernandez said.

She added that her group has instructed its campaign personnel not to post their posters and campaign materials on electrical posts, trees, bridges, and if they would place them in private areas, they have to ask for the consent of the owner.

Fernandez said for now, they will focus on removing their posters but after the elections, they will include posters of other candidates that are not in designated areas.

Last week, nine environmental groups, spearheaded by the Comelec and IBP-NEAT, signed a memorandum of agreement to help together in tearing down and removing posters and campaign materials that are placed outside the designated poster areas.

The Comelec said that posters posted on trees, bridges and electrical posts are considered illegal and therefore should be removed.

Under the law, campaign materials may be placed only in designated common poster areas like barangay halls and freedom parks.

The posting of campaign materials along the streets, on bridges, public structures or buildings, trees, electric posts or wires, schools, shrines and main thoroughfares is prohibited.

Section 3.3 of the Fair Election Act of 2001 states that election propaganda made from paper, cloth, or cardboard posters should not exceed two feet by three feet.

Streamers announcing the holding of a public meeting or rally should not exceed three feet by eight feet. — Wenna A. Berondo/LPM