Six presidential candidates have been given three days to voluntarily remove their illegal campaign materials lest the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will take them down.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) had earlier identified several campaign materials of presidential candidates – Senator Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III of the Liberal Party (LP), former President Joseph “Erap” Estrada of the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP), Senator Richard Gordon of the Bagumbayan Party, former Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. of the Lakas-Kampi-CMD, evangelist Eddie C. Villanueva of Bangon Pilipinas, and Senator Manuel Villar Jr. of the Nacionalista Party (NP) are among those that violated campaign regulations.

“These candidates will be given two or three days to bring down their posters or else we will be forced to dismantle it for them upon the recommendations of the Comelec,” said DPWH Director Edilberto Tayao of the National Capital Region (NCR).

The Comelec said their posters either exceeded the size limit prescribed by the law and were mostly posted in non-designated areas along the north and southbound areas of EDSA.

Other campaign materials are located at the corner of Roxas Boulevard and Vito Cruz, and at the foot of the Quiapo Bridge, both in Manila.

Under Resolution 8758, candidates are only allowed to place their posters not exceeding 2x3 feet and 3x8 feet streamers on common poster areas, namely: plazas, markets, and barangay centers.

Tayao said the DPWH will tear down illegal propaganda materials in coordination with Comelec since it is only the poll body which can determine the election offense committed by a certain presidential candidate.

“We just heard it in the news. The Comelec should coordinate with us because we can't simply dismantle their campaign materials without being told to do so. As far as DPWH is concerned, we are only after the posters that are put up in areas where they are not allowed,” he said.

The official was referring to indiscriminate posting of campaign paraphernalia on infrastructures such as bridges and major roads nationwide.

Previously, DPWH had called on all candidates to refrain from placing their political ads along major thoroughfares as they obstruct traffic signages, directional and warning signs while it destroys the aesthetic beauty of bridges.

“They (candidates) better place their posters on common posting areas designated by Comelec because our personnel will keep on removing them no matter what they do,” DPWH Undersecretary for Luzon Romeo Momo said.

The Comelec said that to enforce the fair election law, each city and municipality has a task force, which is composed of three election officials, to monitor and remove all illegally posted campaign materials in their area of jurisdictions.

“We can charge the candidates a storage fee like one peso if there is a poster (outside the designated common poster) area. It will run for thousands,” said Comelec Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal.