Tarp, poster removal campaign up this week

A COMPOSITE team will expedite the removal of illegal posters in Cebu City including Type O posters that have no permits from Cebu City Hall.

Philip Zafra, Mayor Michael Rama’s chief of staff, said the composite team comprised of 20 personnel from the city’s various departments will intensify their operations this week.

These personnel are sourced from the city’s Department of Public Services (DPS), Barangay Environment Officers (BEOs), City Integrated Traffic Operations Management (Citom) and City Environment and Sanitation Enforcement Team (CESET).

These personnel will have a special assignment aside from their regular duties, Zafra said.

He said they’ll have to make sure that their regular duties aren’t disrupted.

“They don’t necessarily operate at night,” Zafra said.

Their first poster removal operation was done from 9 a.m to 12 midnight in barangays San Roque, Tinago and Tejero last Sept. 20.

Zafra said Rama gave a specific order intensifying the anti-loitering ordinance and clearing of all illegal posters and tarpaulins in Cebu city.

“The mayor wasn’t satisfied,” he said in reference to the city’s removal operation.

Last Thursday, three boom trucks were used to transport the disposed materials, two of which were fully loaded with disposed posters.

The following day they also removed tarpaulins and posters in southern barangays from 9 p.m to 12 midnight.

Zafra said there’s “no political malice” on the operation.

“We are also fixing streetlights in those areas. The mayor’s office oversees so that the direction of the cleaning operation of the city will hasten,” he said in Cebuano.

Earlier Rep. Tomas Osmeña of Cebu City’s south district said the posters and tarpaulins were being placed by youth leaders disappointed with Rama’s governance.

Aside from “Type O” posters, there are also “Angry O” posters styled after the popular “Angry Birds” mobile game.

Rama questioned the placement of these posters and threatened to raise this to the attention of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), saying this smacks of early campaigning. Correspondent Tweeny M. Malinao