ILOILO – A day after the May 12 elections, the Iloilo Provincial Government launched “Limpyo Eleksyon 2025: Operation Baklas”, a province-wide cleanup drive aimed at removing campaign materials from public spaces.
Implemented by the Provincial Government Environment and Natural Resources Office (PGENRO) in partnership with the General Services Office (GSO), the cleanup drive collected over 423 kilograms of campaign-related waste materials on Day 1:
* tarpaulins (recyclable, plastic classification no. 7 – others) – 290.42 kilos
* plastic tarps (residual, flexible plastics with recycling potential) – 118.95 kilos
* nails, bamboo sticks, metal/aluminum wires – 14.14 kilos
According to Mitzi S. Peñaflorida, Supervising Environmental Management Specialist of PGENRO, three Provincial Civil Defense trucks and corresponding cleanup teams were deployed across the province’s five districts.
The first truck covered the 1st District, from Oton to San Joaquin. The second truck serviced parts of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Districts, traveling from Pavia to Calinog, then to Passi City and back. The third truck operated in Leganes and Zarraga towns in the 2nd District, extending to Barotac Nuevo, Carles, and other northern towns.
“This is a 10-day Operation Baklas. We’ve already sent radio advisories to all municipalities to participate,” Peñaflorida said in a Panay News’ interview on Wednesday, May 14.
She added: “Yesterday (May 13), our three Provincial Civil Defense trucks, manned by the Civil Defense Force under the ‘Limpyo Dalanon’ program, were deployed. We were also joined by DENR-EMB and municipal environmental officers.”
The operation targets campaign-related waste — posters, tarpaulins, banners, flyers, leaflets, and other election paraphernalia — which were systematically removed from public areas.
Collected materials were sorted and turned over to the respective municipal environment and natural resources offices (MENROs) and then transported to solid waste management (SWM) centers. A waste audit was also conducted to measure the total volume of election waste generated.
Also, local government units (LGUs), in coordination with the barangays and some electoral candidates have begun parallel cleanup drives in their respective areas.
“This should be a collective effort,” Peñaflorida said. “There is a law requiring political parties to take responsibility for removing their own campaign materials. Those we collect, especially recyclable tarpaulins, will be upcycled under our proposed ‘Balik Alat Program’ here in Iloilo.”
Peñaflorida added that the program, running from May 13 to 23, aims to restore cleanliness and order in communities typically cluttered with campaign materials during the election season./PN
