The Commission on Elections (Comelec) national office will decide if charges will be filed against erring candidates after 806 illegal campaign materials were taken down during the poll body’s Oplan Baklas operations in Bacolod City over the weekend.
Comelec-Bacolod election officer Revo Sorbito said they had sent violation reports to representatives of senatorial and party-list candidates in the 2025 midterm elections prior to the conduct of the operation.
Sorbito said a truckload of illegal campaign materials confiscated since Friday, February 21, will temporarily be stored at the local Comelec office compound.
A forklift was also utilized to take down illegal campaign materials from street posts along Lacson Street in Bacolod.
Sorbito said Comelec-Bacolod will send the inventory of confiscated tarpaulins and posters to the Comelec national office for the filing of charges against erring candidates.
An initial inventory of the posters taken down showed that the majority of the materials were from party-list groups.
The Comelec has conducted Oplan Baklas once a week since the start of the campaign period on February 11, to get rid of illegal campaign materials throughout the election period.
Oplan Baklas targets campaign posters placed on electric posts and trees on government-owned facilities along the national highways or outside the common poster areas.
However, materials on private properties are exempt from removal.
The poll body also appealed to candidates not to place their campaign posters on trees, as they are considered “environmentally unsound” or not good for the environment.
Under the Comelec Resolution No. 11086, or the Omnibus Election Code, poll aspirants are advised to use lawful election propaganda during the campaign period, such as:
* Printed materials like pamphlets and leaflets not exceeding 8.5 inches wide and 14 inches high
* Printed or handwritten letters and posters made from cloth, paper, cardboard, or any recyclable material not exceeding two feet by three feet
* Streamers not exceeding three feet by eight feet (must be shown five days before a rally in a certain place, and must be taken down 24 hours after)
* Paid printed advertisements and broadcast media under the requirements of Section 11 of Comelec Resolution No. 11086 and the Fair Elections Act
* Static light-emitting diode (LED) billboards owned by private entities or individuals, mobile or transit advertisements on public transportation under the condition that they follow the guidelines of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board for commercial advertisements
* Signboards not exceeding three feet by eight feet posted in the candidates’ headquarters and other election propaganda not prohibited by the Omnibus Election Code
Earlier, Comelec Chairman George Garcia said local Comelec offices will actively remove campaign materials that do not comply with size limitations or are posted in unauthorized public spaces. / With reports from GMA Integrated News / WDJ