Labella orders probe: City to remove campaign materials in public places

CEBU, Philippines – Cebu City acting mayor Edgardo Labella yesterday ordered the city’s demolition team to start removing political campaign materials of local or national candidates posted in public properties.

Labella said posters of 2016 election candidates in public places should not be tolerated, even those owned by candidates linked to his own political party.

“Your office is hereby directed to implement the removal of such political advertisements, signs and posters – whether for national or local candidates – posted and installed in public places including but not limited to waiting sheds, markets, terminals, sidewalks, street and lamp posts, electric posts, traffic signage and other signboards,” read Labella’s letter to Raquel Arce, head of the Prevention, Restoration, Order, Beautification, and Enhancement (PROBE) team.

The order is effective immediately, Labella said.

“If we do not stop this, there could be a massive proliferation especially that election period is forthcoming. National and local campaign materials should be removed and we have directed the PROBE through Raquel Arce,” he said.

Labella himself had seen posters on electric posts and trees along Cebu Transcentral Highway.

“…we now see a proliferation of printed and published political advertisements and campaign materials within Cebu City. Most of these signs do not bear the imprimatur of the Cebu City Government in clear violation of Cebu City Ordinance 1656,” he said further.

According to Labella, there is a need to strictly enforce the existing ordinance that regulates the posting of campaigning materials and that it will be “violative” for an individual to “indiscriminately” place posters in public places.

The enforcement of the law, the acting mayor stressed, should not give distinction to any political group, even to his own political party – the United Nationalist Alliance, which is affiliated with Team Rama.

Further, posters on religious or cultural events bearing the name or picture of an aspiring election candidate shall also be prohibited, especially with the number of activities set next year such as the Sinulog Festival and the International Eucharistic Congress, among others.

“If it bears the IEC name but coming from aspiring politicians, then dili na mahimo. Kahibaw ko IEC organizers will never tolerate that nga gamiton ilang activities. There is a time for that, there is a time for the installation of posters during election period,” Labella said. —/NSA (FREEMAN)