Over 100,000 illegal campaign materials removed in Comelec crackdown

 

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Friday said it has dismantled more than 100,000 campaign materials of national candidates as part of the intensified crackdown against illegal campaign materials.

As of February 28, a total of 124,365 posters have been removed, according to Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia, who announced this data in a regular monthly briefing of the poll body for election watchdogs and practitioners.

Garcia also said they have issued 2,463 “notice to remove” documents, ordering senatorial and party-list candidates to dismantle their campaign materials.

More than half of them, or 1,561 complied with the 72-hour deadline to remove their campaign materials, according to him.

Garcia urged candidates to comply with the Comelec’s order to avoid getting in trouble.

“My advice is…once you receive a notice to remove, please remove it at once,” Garcia said.

“It would be very hard for a candidate to have a pending election offense in Comelec,” he said, noting that the poll body has solved an unprecedented number of election cases under his term at 84 percent.

“There are only a few cases in the commission, and we’re hoping that there won’t be any additional cases.”

The campaign period for national candidates began on February 11, which means that the Comelec now has jurisdiction over them.

Local candidates will have to comply with the Comelec rules on campaign materials starting March 28, when the campaign period for them begins.

The campaign period for both local and national bets ends on May 10. (with reports from Sheba Barr, INQUIRER.net trainee)