Lakas-Kampi-CMD Senatorial candidate Silvestre Bello III Thursday asked the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to strictly implement elections laws, particularly those involving unauthorized political billboards and posters that have been sprouting in different parts of the country as the May 10 election nears.

“The Comelec should not be contented with just complaining or airing in the media the candidates’ violations of elections laws. What the public wants to see is for the poll body to show more teeth in disciplining erring candidates,” Bello said in a statement.

A two-time justice secretary during the term of then Presidents Corazon Aquino and Fidel Ramos, Bello dared the poll body to immediately impose sanctions on the candidates whom it found to have already violated even the slightest guidelines on campaign matters in order to earn the respect of the Filipinos.

Bello is reacting to a news report that presidential candidates Senator Richard Gordon and Bro. Eddie Villanueva were seen displaying oversized campaign posters outside designated poster areas.

Gordon has refused to put down his huge billboard along the South Luzon Expressway, saying that he does not even know the owner of the structure nor the building where it was placed.

The Bagumbayan Party standard bearer also claimed that he has n o idea who sponsored his huge billboard along SLEX.

While Bello expressed appreciation over the action of the Comelec in taking pictures of the violation and submitting them as evidence before the poll body’s legal department, Bello said that its efforts should come with a concrete action in order to prevent the repeat of the same incident.