Comelec: Use of oversized campaign materials on electronic billboards is an election offense

The use of oversized campaign materials featured in electronic billboards is an election offense, Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Rowena Guanzon said.

In a series of Twitter posts, Guanzon made the reminder after a netizen asked her take regarding a huge billboard placed on a condominium building along EDSA featuring the Senate bets of ruling party PDP-Laban. The said billboard shows Maguindanao Representative Dong Mangudadatu, former Philippine National Police Chief Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, former Special Assistant to the President Christopher “Bong”Go, Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III and former Presidential Adviser for Political Affairs Francis Tolentino.

“These [oversized campaign materials on electronic billboards] are prohibited,” Guanzon said.

“@jabjimenez @dirfrancesarabe [Do] send notices to these candidates now. Cite the location and violation. Report compliance to me in 24 hours,” Guanzon added, tagging Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez and Director Frances Arabe of the Comelec Education and Information Department in her post.

Likewise, Guanzon tasked Arabe to instruct concerned election officers to send notices of violations to the candidates as well as the billboard companies who will be found in violation of election laws.

“The [Comelec's] Campaign Finance Office (CFO) can subpoena their contracts after they file SOCE (Statement of Campaign Expenditures),” Guanzon added.

Under Comelec Resolution No. 10488 which serves as implementing rules and regulations of the Fair Elections Act for the May 2019 polls, parties and candidates may post their campaign materials in:

• authorized common poster areas in public places as plazas, markets, barangay centers and the like where posters may be readily seen or read, and with the heaviest pedestrian and/or vehicular traffic in the city or municipality; and
• private property, provided that the posting has the consent of the owner thereof.

The individual posters that can be posted in common poster areas should not exceed 2 by 3 feet, according to Section 20 of Comelec Resolution No. 10488.

Those who will be found violating the rules will face an election offense charge which is punishable by six years imprisonment and disqualification from running for public office. —Llanesca T. Panti/KG, GMA News