DILG to barangays: Clean up mess brought by local elections

A week after the barangay (village) and Sangguniang Kabataan elections, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has urged barangays and the candidates to clean up and remove their campaign materials by the end of the week.

Interior OIC-Secretary Eduardo M. Año said Monday it is the candidates’ responsibility to clean up their respective communities, whether they won or not.

“Nanalo man kayo o natalo sa nakaraang eleksyon, obligasyon ninyo na ibalik ang kalinisan at kaayusan ng inyong lugar,” Año said in a statement.

(Whether you win or not in the recent election, it’s your obligation to bring order and cleanliness back to your area.)

“Magtulong-tulong na po tayo para tanggalin ang mga campaign materials at linisin ang kalat noong nakaraang eleksyon. Inaasahan ko na sa pagtatapos ng linggong ito, tapos na tayo sa clean-up drive,” he added.

(Let us help each other in removing campaign materials and clean up the mess brought by the recent election. I hope at the end of this week, we’re already done with the clean-up drive.)

Año made the call following reports that the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) hauled three truckloads of garbage made up of posters, tarpaulins and plastics after the elections in the capital alone.

And as many schools that served as polling precincts are still filled with election paraphernalia, Año urged the public to join the clean-up in preparation for the opening of classes on June 4. /je