Mavil Majarucon, Bacolod City election officer, is warning supporters of senatorial candidates and partylist groups to remove campaign materials illegally posted outside the COMELEC designated common poster areas in the city before Thursday.

If they fail to remove the campaign materials by Thursday then the COMELEC, along with members of the Bacolod police and fire department, will remove them, she said.

Majarucon also said that, after Thursday, she will also submit a list to the COMELEC head office of the violating candidates who can be recommended for disqualification from running in the May polls.

She has sent notices to the persons concerned to act on their illegal campaign materials before Thursday, Majarucon said.

The first to be reported to the COMELEC as a rampant violator of the rule on illegal posting was Senator Panfilo Lacson.

Majarucon said there were also violations by senatorial candidates Manuel Villar, Michael Defensor and Ralph Recto, and some partylist groups.

Campaign materials of Recto yesterday sprouted behind the Negros Occidental Capitol in Bacolod City near the COMELEC provincial office in open defiance of the commission's prohibition on the illegal posting of campaign materials.

Defensor also had illegally posted streamers behind the Capitol.

Meanwhile, Majarucon said that, in view of the May 14 polls, the City Treasurer is opting to use the ballot boxes used in the 2002 barangays elections to augment the already existing serviceable ballot boxes in their custody.

The contents of the 2002 barangays elections ballot boxes are not subject to any election protest case so their contents can be removed and burned in accordance with the provision of the law, she said.

The burning will take place tomorrow in front of the Bacolod COMELEC office in the presence of all political parties, the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting and media representatives, she added.*CPG

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