00:00Candidates in the midterm polls in May, just as in every poll held in the country, are mostly in
00:06violation of Kamelec campaign rules on posting ads in public sphere before official campaigning
00:11begins. But with two and a half weeks left before the official campaign period kicks off,
00:16many candidates are voluntarily taking down their illegally placed ads or posts out of fear they
00:22could be disqualified by the Kamelec if they forget to act on or before March 28. Our Luisa
00:28Erispe reports on candidates who've already benefited from posting illegally and are in
00:32search of legitimate yet less visible locations. More than two weeks before the start of the
00:39campaign period for local candidates in the 2025 midterm elections, local officials started
00:45removing their campaign materials along roads, bridges, and other public areas which will be
00:50deemed as illegal starting March 28. And one of the LGUs that started their dismantling act are
00:56officials from Binyan, Laguna who voluntarily removed their materials to abide by the Kamelec
01:02rules.
01:33According to the LGU, whether theirs or from their opponents, they opted to remove all the
01:42illegally posted campaign materials, even those from national candidates such as senatorial bets
01:47and party list nominees. The LGU explained this signifies their intent to obey Kamelec rules,
01:53and they also plan to recycle all collected materials for other purposes.
02:02Ito yung pwede na pwedeng gawain mga basket, pero yung mga maliliit lang, mga 1x1, 1x2 feet,
02:11i-shred natin, then i-gagawin natin siyang component ng bricks natin.
02:17According to the Commission on Elections, this will set an example to other candidates,
02:21as they have earlier pronounced that candidates should voluntarily remove their campaign materials
02:27if they are aware these are illegally posted and outside of the scope of common poster areas.
02:32But aside from posters, the Kamelec is also monitoring LGUs giving out assistance by way
02:38of government programs. Though such act is not yet considered as an election offense,
02:43the Kamelec reminds the public that just like posters, once the campaign period
02:48is officially underway, this may be grounds for disqualification.
02:52Yung posters din po, wala pa rin pong prohibisyon, wala rin pong kami pwedeng matanggal sapagat
02:57hindi pa po sila kandidato. Sila po lahat ay aspirants pa lamang. Basta sinusunod yung
03:02guidelines, wala po tayong pagtatalunan. Pero sa kasalukuyan, wala pa pong prohibisyon
03:07mula sa Kamelec. Ang DSWT pa po ang may absolute control sa lahat ng ayuda na pinamimigay sa buong
03:14bansa.
