ILOILO – Nearly 50 metric tons of campaign-related waste were removed from public spaces across this province in just 10 days, as part of an aggressive post-election clean-up drive led by the provincial government.
From May 13 to 21, the Provincial Government Environment and Natural Resources Office (PGENRO), in coordination with the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Offices (MENROs) in 43 local government units (LGUs), collected a total of 49,252.495 kilograms of waste materials left behind from the 2025 midterm elections.
The campaign materials, ranging from bamboo and wood to metal scraps, tarpaulins, and flexible plastics, were taken down and transported to each municipality’s Material Recovery Facility (MRF) for sorting, weighing, and segregation.
The cleanup operation, dubbed “Limpyo Eleksyon: Operation Baklas”, aimed not only to rid public spaces of visual clutter and residual waste but also to promote a circular economy by diverting reusable materials from landfills.
“This initiative is designed to reduce and regulate the usage of single-use plastics that contribute to the overflowing volume of residual waste,” said Mitzi Peñaflorida, PGENRO senior environmental management specialist.
Peñaflorida added that recyclable and upcyclable materials were turned over to local women’s groups, persons with disabilities, recyclers, and sewing associations. These groups will transform the collected waste into marketable eco-friendly products such as bags, pouches, wallets, gowns, tree guards, and plant pots — helping generate livelihood opportunities and promote inclusive community empowerment.
Breakdown of collected campaign waste per district
* 1st District – 11,917.70 kg
* 2nd District – 6,851.40 kg
* 3rd District – 10,132.435 kg
* 4th District – 8,056.46 kg
* 5th District – 12,294.50 kg
Types of waste collected
* Bamboo – 17,892.655 kg
* Wood – 4,163.40 kg
* Nails and Aluminum – 2,457.73 kg
* Tarpaulins – 16,851.88 kg
* Flexible Plastics – 7,886.83 kg
The Iloilo provincial government said the success of the operation underscores the importance of sustained environmental awareness and inter-agency collaboration in managing the ecological footprint of electoral exercises./PN
