NAGA CITY—They are dishonoring the memory of Cory and Ninoy.

This was the statement made by Liberal Party standard bearer Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III as he criticized the move of the government to remove the posters and streamers of the late President Corazon Aquino and the slain Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino along Roxas Boulevard.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) reportedly voiced favor over the removal of the streamers to appease Noynoy’s critics and other parties’ claim that posters of Cory and Ninoy hanging around Metro Manila can be associated with their only son, Noynoy, who is seeking the presidency.

Aquino said the authorities were "stretching" the meaning of the Omnibus Election Code in claiming that the banners, put up by the city government of Manila to honor his parents, violated election rules.

“Obviously the law no longer applies to deceased individuals. So I don’t see apart from being petty and diminutive why this should be done. There are other issues that the poll body should address,” Aquino said

“If we follow the line of argument perhaps they should also remove the Ninoy Aquino in the name of NAIA (the Ninoy Aquino International Airport), " Aquino said.

He said he first heard about the removal of the banners form Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim. He said Lim was supposed to have a meeting with Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Oscar Inocentes.

"It looks like they are singling me out. That is really unique...I know the Comelec has jurisdiction over candidates. Everything that has to do with Omnibus Election Code," Aquino said.

As this developed, Lim Wednesday disclosed that banners of Ninoy and Cory were ripped away by MMDA “days before Comelec orders us to put the streamers down.”

Reacting to news reports that the Comelec will ask the City of Manila to take down the streamers of the two, Lim assailed MMDA personnel for putting away their banners seen along Roxas Boulevard in Manila even without city hall consent.

"What banners? All the banners in Roxas Boulevard down to the Anda Circle had been taken away by the MMDA personnel without asking the city government's permission. Now, the Comelec would talk to us about it? The streamers are already gone since Sunday," Lim told the Manila Bulletin in a telephone interview.

"This is the second time that the MMDA illegally put down the streamers we placed along Roxas Boulevard. I am really wondering as to why they wanted to put their (Cory and Ninoy) streamers down well in fact they are already dead and neither Cory nor Ninoy is a candidate in the upcoming elections," he added.

According to the Manila mayor, he received a call from Police Chief Supt. Rodolfo Magtibay, director of Manila Police District, telling him that several "Oyster boys" of the MMDA were dismantling the streamers of the two along Roxas Boulevard including the Anda Circle in front of the historic Manila Hotel at 10:30 am, Sunday.

Lim claimed that several Oyster Boys, whom authorities invited for questioning, were paid P50 for every streamers they took down. (with reports by Leonard Postrado and Kris Bayos)