ILOILO City – Election campaign materials displayed outside designated areas here will be removed, according to Public Safety Transportation Management Office (PSTMO) head Jeck Conlu.
He met yesterday with officials of the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO), Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO), and other concerned offices to plan their “operation”.
Citing Regulation Ordinance 2013-330 regulating streamers and billboards, Conlu said campaign materials are not allowed in electrical posts, traffic lights and trees, among others.
The ordinance specifically covers “streamers, billboards, posters, advertisements, notices, and buntings,” which could be “any informational materials, any forms of announcement, may it be written or merely a picture, or may also be in the form of a banner, flag, ensign, or emblem causing for the public’s attention.”
“It shall be unlawful to install (them) along city streets, public places or at any place of business within the City of Iloilo without a permit issued by the License and Permits Division Office of the City Mayor’s Office,” Section 5 of the ordinance stated.
Under Section 6, such materials must legibly show “the corresponding permit number, date of issuance and the name of the applicant as issued” by the same division office.
Violators may be fined P1,000 for every illegally installed streamer, billboard or advertisement, or imprisoned for two months, at the court’s discretion.
The City Engineer’s Office, through Task Force ASIS (Anti-Squatting and Illegal Structures), is authorized to remove such illegally displayed materials, stated the ordinance./PN
