CEBU City Mayor Michael Rama has ordered the removal of tarpaulins and signage posted in various public places, including those owned by candidates aspiring to be elected in the 2022 polls.
This as Rama noticed that some of those who have been posting their campaign materials along city streets have not applied for a permit before the City.
Rama cited City Ordinance 1361, or the Anti-Littering Ordinance, as basis for his order.
In a press conference on Friday, November 12, 2021, Rama ordered the city’s Department of Public Services (DPS) and the Prevention Restoration Order Beautification and Enhancement (Probe) team to conduct the removal of illegally posted tarps and posters across the city.
“I told the DPS to make the city clean. All tarpaulins should also be removed. Only authorized tarpaulins by the City Hall should be permitted to be posted,” Rama said.
“I do not wish that the whole city of Cebu will become an advertisement center,” he added.
Rama particularly urged candidates for the 2022 polls to tell their supporters not to post their tarps and posters on trees, electric posts and even in public structures.
“We will have all tarpaulins removed. Politicians shouldn’t post tarpaulins in the first place so that they will not waste money,” Rama said.
Probe’s Raquel Bohol-Arce told SunStar Cebu that even before Rama issued the order, they had started removing campaign materials posted around the city a month ago.
Arce said since a month ago, they had collected around a truckload of campaign materials.
Majority of the materials they collected were from national candidates like those owned by presidential candidates Isko Moreno, Vice President Leni Robredo, Senator Manny Pacquiao and former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
They also disposed of the campaign materials owned by local candidates such as those owned by Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) president and vice mayoral candidate Franklyn Ong, councilor candidate Harry Yran, lawyer Rey Gealon and Clifford Niñal.
Even campaign materials owned by Cebu City North District congressional aspirant and actor Richard Yap were not spared from Probe’s operations. (CAL, PAC)