By JEN BAYLON

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) issued 52 notices of violation against national candidates in the upcoming May 12 midterm elections after the removal of 4,570 illegal campaign materials in Negros Occidental.

Thirty-nine violation notices were issued after 2,322 campaign materials were taken down during Oplan Baklas from February 24 to March 1, Comelec data showed.

Thirteen notices were served as 2,248 illegal materials were removed from March 3 to 8.

Bacolod City saw the highest number of campaign materials removed in the two-week Oplan Baklas operation, with 1,523 tarpaulins.

Silay City followed with 163 removals, while Talisay City recorded 94.

From February 24 to March 1, Silay led the list with 1,087 tarpaulins removed, followed by Talisay with 326, and Don Salvador Benedicto town with 269.

Provincial election supervisor Ian Lee Ananoria emphasized that the operation is part of Comelec’s commitment to enforcing fair and lawful campaigning.

“We remind all candidates and their supporters to strictly follow election rules on poster size and placement to avoid violations,” Ananoria stated.

With the campaign season heating up, Comelec has assured that Oplan Baklas will continue in the coming weeks to maintain clean and orderly elections in the province.

The Comelec has conducted Oplan Baklas once a week since the start of the campaign period in February, 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.

Also prohibited are propaganda materials that are not in designated common poster areas, such as plazas, markets, barangay centers, and other similar places.

The Comelec said it has dismantled more than 100,000 campaign materials of national candidates as part of the intensified crackdown against illegal campaign materials./JB, WDJ