Political ads

BEHIND THE SCENES

Alfred P. Dizon

Here are some rules candidates and their supporters could observe so they will not be charged with poll offenses.

Political advertisements are allowed to be posted on public utility vehicles (PUVs) such as jeepneys, buses and taxis as long as a permit is secured from the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).

In a statement Feb. 19, the LTFRB said operators should secure a permit for posting transit political ads that comply with the regulations set by the Commission on Elections on sizes of campaign materials.

“Those who wish to place advertisements must go through the application process to get a permit and pay the required fees,” the LTFRB statement read.

The Board has issued Memorandum Circular 2013-005 (MC 2013-005), which was amended by MC 2015-029, that lifted the prohibition of political ads on PUVs following a Supreme Court decision in the case of 1-UTAK vs. Comelec promulgated on April 14, 2015.

The following are the rules on PUV advertisements as set by LTFRB MC 2013-005:

Transit advertisement shall neither constitute a traffic hazard nor compromise the safety, comfort and convenience of passengers and the public, in general;

Transit advertisement must not impede, limit or obstruct in any way the driver’s line of sight;

All advertising matters to be installed shall conform to the standards relative to morality, decency and public safety, in accordance with but not limited to, government regulations and the Code of Ethics of the Ad Standards Council;

Required PUV identification and operational information shall not be hindered. Specifications of mandatory markings including, but not limited to, company and/or trade name, license plate, body number, “May Reklamo ka ba? Itawag sa LTFRB hotline 0921-448-7777, 426-2515”, city or provincial mode of operation, designation, authorized route, mandated by previous Memorandum Circulars shall not be reduced, diminished, or obscured;

It is understood that all transit advertising materials shall be installed in such a manner as not to cover the trade name, the license plate number and body number of the vehicle, or make it any difficult for the riding public to identify the bus;

No transit advertising permit shall be granted to units with expired franchises even with application for extension of validity of CPC, and to suspend units even with motion to lift order of suspension.

PUV operators and drivers that fail to comply with the guidelines would be fined P10,000 and a maximum punishment of revocation of franchise.

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The Commission on Elections has started to make the rounds particularly in Metro Manila documenting violations on campaign poster rules.

This week, the Comelec Education and Information Department (Comelec-EID) will be sending notices of violation to candidates who were found to have illegal campaign posters

“Katatapos lang iyong documentation namin. Sa ngayon hinahanda natin ang pagbabaklas, but at the same time hinahanda na rin iyong mga sulat doon sa mga kandidatong na-monitor natin na may malalaking billboard at malalaking poster,” said Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez.

According to Jimenez, the most common violation of the senatorial candidates and party list groups is the posting of campaign posters outside the assigned common poster area.

“There are some places kung saan iyong palibot nung common poster area kung saan bawal, punong – puno ng poster. Pero iyong common poster area walang laman. That should tell you that the most common violation really is posting out of place,” he said.

Comelec said that most of the illegal campaign posters belong to local official candidates.

The poll body reminds candidates that although the campaign period for local officials will begin on March 29, they have to take down campaign posters that are in violation of election rules.

Election officers have already been directed on what to do with the offending posters.

“Iyong mga election officer para magtanggal ‘nung materials and then iyong regional director para mainform iyong candidates. Magkakaroon ng evaluation doon sa regional at sa local offices to determine kung nagkaroon ng compliance doon sa warning, sa sulat,” said Jimenez.