Barangay, SK bets urged to conduct eco-friendly poll campaign

An environmental and zero-waste group on Wednesday urged all candidates in the 2018 Barangay (village) and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections to conduct eco-friendly campaign activities.

EcoWaste Coalition campaigner Daniel Alejandre said all contenders should be respectful of their constituents’ right to a healthy environment.

“Their keen desire to get the voters’ nod should not worsen the waste and pollution woes of the communities, especially in heavily populated barangays, that they are hoping to serve,” Alejandre said in a statement.

Alejandre stressed that candidates should also comply with the P5 expense limit per registered voter in their respective villages.

“(Candidates should) avoid going beyond what is allowed and what is necessary to get themselves known to the electorate,” he said.

To conserve resources and minimize waste, Alejandre said they also urged candidates to refrain from distributing too much leaflets and sample ballots, and from putting up too much banners and posters.

Instead, candidates should explore “more personal and interactive approaches” in courting voters such as house-to-house visits and neighborhood meetings, he said.

Such campaign activities may also be used to introduce the candidates’ plans to address community health and environmental concerns, the EcoWaste campaigner also said.

In addition, Alejandre suggested that social media may also be another eco-friendly platform to woo voters.

Campaign period for 2018 village and youth council elections is set to start on May 4, with election day on May 14.       /muf