MANILA, Philippines?Instead of spending money on campaign materials like tarpaulin banners, politicians should use the funds on disaster rehabilitation, an environmental group has suggested.

Romy Hidalgo, vice president of EcoWaste Coalition, Tuesday said tarpaulin banners around Metro Manila of politicians were proliferating.

?We are dismayed to see millions of pesos being spent by national and local candidates for costly and hollow campaign materials that have messed up our already chaotic streets,? Hidalgo said in a statement.

He said that politicians had been ?directly or indirectly spending for political propaganda amid post-disaster woes.?

?The non-filing of certificates of candidacy (COCs) should not be used by aspiring government leaders to get around the law whose intent is to encourage a level playing field for all contenders,? Hidalgo said.

Campaigning is allowed only for 120 days prior to Election Day. This means that from Nov. 30, 2009, which is the last day to file COCs, until Feb. 9, 2010, the official start of the campaign period, candidates may not promote themselves.

Hidalgo said the tarpaulin were a form of premature campaigning which ?wastes financial and material resources that are better spent for activities that can alleviate the sufferings of disaster victims.?

In lieu of spending money on early campaigning, EcoWaste Coalition urged politicians and their supporters to help disaster survivors rebuild their lives by helping reconstruct battered homes and by restoring damaged roads, bridges and schools.

Funds for expensive banners and advertisements, Hidalgo said, could also be used to help communities set up ecology centers or materials recovery facilities to help them manage their garbage.