BACOLOD CITY, Negros Occidental, Philippines – Summer is not in yet but the political heat has turned up a notch after an opposition vice mayoral candidate accused City Hall of being “unfair, selective and oppressive” in tearing down his and his partymates’ campaign materials.
Lawyer Caesar Distrito also bared that some businessmen who are supporting Team Asenso (Team Progress) are being harassed by people connected to City Hall.
“They are being told that they might encounter problems and just avoid,” or in Hiligaynon “paiway.”
Distrito did not name these businessmen.
City Legal Officer Joselito Bayatan said Distrito is “wrong” to accuse City Hall of being selective.
Bayatan’s office led the tearing down of the tarpaulins of Distrito and of his partymates at the entrance of City Heights Subdivision, a private residential area in Taculing village.
Bayatan said the tarpaulin Distrito was referring to was strung between two electrical posts and posed a risk to pedestrians and motorists who might be hit in case these are torn off by strong winds.
He pointed out these can be classified as nuisance per se and can be taken down by the CLO without any need for a court decision.
Distrito had earlier argued in an interview with DNX that these materials do not violate any campaign rules of the poll commission.
But Bayatan countered that the materials were taken down not for violating campaign rules but in the interest of public safety.
He also said Distrito should name the businessmen who he alleged are being harassed by City Hall.
Otherwise, “harassment” would turn out to be an abused word.