Paz, Jonas take out campaign materials

CEBU, Philippines - The local slate of the Liberal Party in Mandaue City tore down all campaign materials found in major thoroughfares in the city.

Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes led his entire slate and the office of sixth district Representative Luis Gabriel Quisumbing in tearing down the illegally placed materials. 

In Lapu-Lapu City Tuesday afternoon, Mayor Paz Radaza ordered the tearing down of her own campaign materials and other materials belonging to some candidates identified with her party.

Radaza said the posters had to be removed because these were not placed in the common poster areas.

She said some of her posters in barangay Gun-ob can be found in trees.

She ordered Clean and Green personnel to take down her group’s campaign materials. 

Cortes met Tuesday afternoon with his slate, 27 barangay captains, representatives of Quisumbing, LP gubernatorial candidate Hilario “Junjun” Davide, and vice gubernatorial candidate Agnes Magpale to discuss the indiscriminate setting up of campaign materials and materials that violate rules on size set by the Comelec.

Posters found in private properties without consent from land owners will also be removed, Cortes said.

Cortes said the city recently passed the second stage of the Performance Governance System (PGS), a good governance project being implemented in partnership with the International Solidarity in Asia (ISA).

The PGS is an urban redevelopment program that aims to make the city livable.

Cortes said illegal posters in the city do not only violate the  “fair elections act” but also give the impression that the city is untidy.

The mayor said before the start of the campaign, election materials were already sprouting in neighboring cities and towns and was glad it did not happen in the city.

Cortes said that as much as he wants to maintain cleanliness, his supporters who donate campaign materials could become careless in their eagerness to help.

“We will do the first act. Kami mismo maoy motangtang sa among mga dagway and make nga naa ra ni sila makita sa common poster areas,” Cortes said.

He also urged the Public Information Office to distribute leaflets printed in the dialect, which would indicate the proper places where campaign materials should be posted.

Jessie Perez, the district manager of sixth district Rep. Luigi Quisumbing, and his staff went around the city Tuesday evening to tear down posters in response to reports that some of Quisumbing’s campaign materials were posted in non-designated areas and on some electric poles. 

He said that they have been instructed by the congressman to abide with the Comelec’s fair election act. 

After yesterday’s press conference, the LP local slate went to barangay Casuntingan to pull down campaign materials placed in major thoroughfares. (FREEMAN)