DILG urges LGUs, candidates to remove campaign materials within 3 days

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Wednesday urged local government units (LGUs) and candidates in the May 9 elections to dispose of any campaign waste materials in their areas within three days.

“Clean-up of election litter is the first order of business after the polls. Aside from incumbent LGU officials, we urge all candidates, winners and non-winners alike, to take it upon themselves to lead in the removal of their campaign materials,” DILG Secretary Eduardo Año said in a statement.

In an advisory to the local chief executives, Año urged them to implement proper disposal of election propaganda paraphernalia in accordance with environmental laws, as well as local ordinances and regulations against illegal dumping, open burning, and littering.

Año also encouraged them to use the barangay and LGU material recovery facilities to collect and restore reusable materials and to come up with innovative and safe ways of recycling or upcycling reusable campaign waste materials.

“Impose the responsibility to the organizers of political activities, to ensure that waste generated by their activities, and their attendees will be properly managed and disposed of,” he said.

“Hinihimok din po natin ang ating mga kababayan na makiisa sa clean-up drive ng kanilang LGUs at barangay (We also urge our countrymen to join the clean-up drive of their LGUs and barangays). We have done our part in exercising our right to vote. Let’s continue to participate in governance through our simple ways of cleaning up our neighborhood from election litter."

The DILG chief pointed out that campaign materials made of plastics and other non-biodegradable materials may have detrimental effects on public health and the environment if improperly disposed of.

Año said that at least 168.84 tons of campaign materials were collected in the 2019 midterm elections. —VBL, GMA News