Comelec reiterates ruling on oversized posters

Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr.. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—An attempt by candidates to find a way around the Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) poster size limitation was already prohibited in a previous ruling, Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. said Monday.

Under the Comelec’s rules, all posters are limited to two feet by three feet in size. However, many candidates were said to be using smaller poster sizes which are posted next to each other like puzzle pieces showing the bigger picture.

Brillantes, when told of such election propaganda, said that that the manner of making bigger election posters by putting together many smaller ones was no longer allowed by the Comelec.

“There has already been a previous ruling on that, that’s prohibited,” Brillantes said.

He said there were previous instances where candidates use one small poster for each letter of their name and place them together so that the name would be spelled out.

Previously, a giant tarpaulin in San Sebastian Cathedral in Bacolod that listed senatorial candidates of “Team Buhay” (against the Reproductive Health [RH] Bill) and “Team Patay” (in favor of the RH Bill) was cited by Comelec for being oversized.

The church responded by splitting the tarpaulin into two separate tarpaulins but retained their positions in front of the church.