Barangay and SK Candidates Urged to Stay Away from Guns, Goons, Gold… and Garbage (Group Urges Candidates to Reject Bad "Gs" of Politics)

As the campaign fever heats up, the EcoWaste Coalition today advised aspiring Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan leaders to shun the four, not three, “Gs” of Philippine politics. 

“Guns, goons, gold, as well as garbage, are the bad ‘Gs’ of the country’s political life, especially in time of elections,” said Aileen Lucero, National Coodinator, EcoWaste Coalition.

“We therefore call upon the good candidates not to resort to these bad ‘Gs’ to get their chosen posts in the barangay or youth councils,” she said.

“Please spurn violence, calm your supporters and do not use money to buy allegiance and votes to achieve your political ambitions,” she said.

“Also, please do not dirty the walls, streets and the trees with your campaign materials. Keep your campaigning activities garbage-free,” she added.

With few days remaining before the last day of the campaign period on May 12, the EcoWaste Coalition again sought the cooperation of all candidates and their backers in keeping local communities safe from campaign trash and pollution.

 

“Every campaign material used to woo voters – from paper to plastic – has to go somewhere after the election frenzy is over.  Some of these materials may be reused, repurposed and recycled, and, regrettably, most may end up being buried or burned and wasted forever,” Lucero said.

"Hope candidates will stick to the rules and be mindful of the environmental consequences of their campaigning efforts,” she said.

The EcoWaste Coalition likewise appealed to the candidates to voluntarily remove their campaign materials immediately after the polls on May 14. 

“We urge candidates who truly care for their constituents and their shared environment to conduct a post-election clean-up on May 15.  Win or lose, please get out of the streets and remove your campaign posters,” Lucero pleaded.

“Instead of hanging boring ‘thank you’ tarpaulins, please express your gratitude to the electorate by leading neighborhood clean-up activities.  Please do retrieve whatever can be reused, repurposed or recycled,” she added.

The EcoWaste Coalition further reminded candidates and their supporters not to dump or burn the removed campaign materials as this is against Republic Act 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, that barangay and SK leaders are supposed to enforce.

-end-