Ronda tanods clean streets of poll materials

Eighteen barangay tanods patrol Mandaue City’s streets not only to keep the peace but to remove tarpaulin banners and other election materials.

For the past three elections, Ibabao-Estancia barangay captain, Carmelino Del Mar Jr., said they cleaned their barangay of election material posted on waiting sheds, electric posts , trees and walls.

Confiscated tarpaulins of vice gubernatorial candidate Glen Soco and senatorial candidate Miguel Zubiri, are now kept at the barangay hall waiting for claimants, del Mar said.

“But if nobody claims the tarpulins, we will throw them away because as the elections near, tanods could confiscate a lot of campaign materials,” he added.  Campaign posters can be set up in private property with the consent of the owner.

Otherwise, they can only appear in official poster areas designated by the poll body.

Even Mayor Jonas Cortes, del Mar’s ally, is not exempted from the prohibition of the the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

“It takes courage to implement a campaign free materials area and discipline,” del Mar said.

He said removing election materials will help keep their barangay clean.

“Duna maka-away labi na national candidates, kay wala man mi maestoryaan nila (There are national candidates who would complain but they haven’t talked to us),” del Mar added. Reporter Jucell Marie P. Cuyos