Metro council to candidates: Clean up your mess

MANILA, Philippines - The Metro Manila Council, the policy-making and governing body of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), has approved a resolution that proposes to penalize candidates who have not yet removed their campaign posters and streamers across the metropolis.

MMDA Chairman Oscar Inocentes said the resolution specifically recommends that city and municipal mayors pass their respective ordinances mandating national, local, and barangay candidates to clean up their campaign paraphernalia within seven days after every election.

“The resolution intends to ensure the strict enforcement of pertinent provisions of the Omnibus Election Code and other resolutions of the Commission on Elections, specifically on the use of common poster areas assigned for candidates during the campaign period,” Inocentes said.

He and other officials of the MMDA were joined in yesterday’s council meeting by two of the five incoming mayors – Antolino Calixto of Pasay City and John Rey Tiangco of Navotas. Also attending the council meeting were re-elected Mayors Jaime Medina of Pateros town and Sherwin Gatchalian of Valenzuela City.

Inocentes said more than a month after the May 10 elections, campaign posters, leaflets, streamers and other campaign paraphernalia have yet to be removed.

According to Inocentes, the campaign materials were indiscriminately posted in prohibited places such as public and private walls, fences, buildings and other structures, electrical cable wires and telephone lines.

“Clutter of campaign materials add up as eyesores and, if not immediately scoured up, will result in heaps of garbage that will be washed away to clog the drainage inlets and into the waterways, eventually contributing to flooding in Metro Manila,” Inocentes said.

MMDA general manager Robert Nacianceno said efforts to clean up tons of campaign materials have taken a heavy toll on the time of hundreds of MMDA personnel, equipment and resources of the agency that could have been utilized for other purposes.

“Candidates, regardless if they had emerged victorious or not, should aspire to be role models and good examples for their constituents to emulate,” Inocentes said.

He said once the resolution is adopted by all the Metro Manila mayors, similar ordinances can then be implemented in all the 17 local government units of Metro Manila. The ordinances, if approved, will then carry a uniform penalty, he said.