Comelec officer dinukot
Environment Secretary Angelo Reyes urged yesterday all the candidates in the May 14 elections to help in the nationwide clean-up of campaign and election materials in order to prevent pollution.
He said the garbage generated by the just-concluded electoral exercise can clog sewers, contaminate the water table and foul up the air.
“I urge all the candidates, winners and non-winners alike, to be responsible in cleaning up their own campaign materials strewn on the streets, as well as those pasted on walls and lamp posts,” Reyes said.
The Department of the Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is doing all it can to help in the clean-up of election-related materials but it needs the help of everyone, according to Reyes.
“Tarpaulins made of non-biodegradable materials are of special concern to the DENR since they can cause air pollution when burned or contaminate our water and soils if improperly discarded,” Reyes pointed out.
He also advised that unused election paraphernalia, especially the thousands of bottles of indelible ink, be returned to the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
“I am directing all DENR offices, as well as our attached and line agencies nationwide, to take an active role in bringing our surroundings back to the state they were in before the campaign period started,” Reyes said.
Reyes said the campaign should be a joint effort involving the government, the private sector and all concerned citizens.
“On the part of the candidates, helping in the election clean-up is a good way to show their sense of patriotism, especially since all of them want to serve the public,” he added.
In Metro Manila alone, an average of 750 fully laden dump trucks containing garbage and other waste materials are collected daily in its major waterways.
“This volume must have shot up during the elections, so the government will have its hands full in addressing this problem,” Reyes said.
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