EcoWaste: Spare schools from election propaganda material

Members of Comelec’s Operation: Baklas remove illegal election posters in San Andres, Manila. NIÑO JESUS ORBETA / Philippine Daily Inquirer)

MANILA, Philippines — Schools to be used as polling places should remove illegal campaign materials from their premises before the elections on May 13, environmental watchdog EcoWaste Coalition said Tuesday.

The group said schools should remain non-partisan to prevent conflict of interest and lessen the garbage.

“We appeal to concerned school principals to ensure that the entire school premises, including the frontage, fences, walls and sidewalks, are free of election propaganda materials,” EcoWaste Coalition National Coordinator Aileen Lucero said in a statement.

“As littering is a common environmental offense during Election Day, we urge schools to post visible signage that will remind voters not to litter sample ballots or ‘kodigo’ in the school premises,” she added. 

EcoWaste also reiterated its call for the Commission of Elections (Comelec) to intensify its drive to remove oversized and misplaced election posters. 

“To encourage respect for the rule of law, we urge agencies authorized by the Comelec to conduct nonstop removal operations of posters and other campaign materials that are oversized or displayed in forbidden places,” Lucero said.

“Despite repeated Comelec warning, we find lots of campaign materials nailed or stapled on trees, or hanging in lamp posts, bridges, waiting sheds and other inappropriate places,” she added. 

Comelec Resolution 10488 mandates that only posters made of “cloth, paper, cardboard or any other material, whether framed or posted, with an area not exceeding two feet by three feet” are allowed.

The same resolution prohibits the display of such posters “outside authorized common poster areas, in public places, or in private properties without the consent of the owner.” /cbb