Personnel of the Mandaue City Comelec office destroy the streamers of national candidates that they pulled down during Last Friday’s Oplan Baklas. CDN Digital photo | Rosalie Abatayo
MANDAUE CITY, Cebu — Illegally installed streamers and other campaign materials of national candidates were removed by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Mandaue City after their Oplan Baklas last Friday, March 8, 2019.
Jacqueline Reuyan, Election Assistant of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Mandaue City, said they were able to cover 30 percent of the city’s national highways in their operation.
Reuyan, who acted as team leader, said they pulled down a van-full of streamers that were not in designated poster areas along the stretch of the national road from Barangay Jagobiao in the northern section of the city up to the vicinity of the Marcelo Fernan Bridge.
Most of which are installed in electrical posts and nailed on trees.
“Naganid gyud namo gikan sa Jagobiao sa north then subay sa [Barangay] Basak, Tabok, then padulong sa second bridge. Pinakadaghan tingali ni dapit sa second bridge,” Reuyan told CDN Digital.
Reuyan explained that Oplan Baklas only covered the campaign materials of national candidates, both senatorial bets and party list groups, since the campaign period of local has yet to begin.
The campaign period of the national candidates started last February 12 while the period for the local candidates starts on March 30.
During campaign period, campaign materials should only be posted in designated common poster areas such as the surroundings of barangay halls and public markets.
A separate Oplan Baklas for streamers of local candidates is set on April 26, in compliance with the directive of the Comelec office in Manila, which mandates local Comelec offices to conduct the operations.
The confiscated streamers were temporarily stored at the Comelec Mandaue City Office pending disposal.
Meanwhile, candidates whose posters were taken down will be asked to explain and submit documentation that they have take down the remaining posters that are illegally installed.
“They should take it down before kami ang mo-baklas kay sayang kaayo nga bag-o ra gitaod then tangtangon then gub-on. Naghatag na man mi og designated poster areas, adto na lang gyud unta sila,” Reuyan added. /bmjo