The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board in Region 7 warned operators of public utility buses that the Commission on Elections prohibits PUBs from being plastered with political campaign materials.

LTFRB 7 director Ahmed Cuizon said bus operators will be penalized by the Comelec if they allow candidates to place stickers, posters, or any form of campaign materials in their vehicles.

Cuizon said they can only hang streamers, or other campaign materials, on buses that are hired to ferry supporters or candidates during political rallies.

But the campaign materials must be removed from the buses immediately after the rally, he added.

Cuizon said LTFRB requires the operators, or drivers, to secure a permit to operate outside their routes if hired to ferry supporters during political rallies.

Each special permit costs P130.

If this policy is violated, the operator or driver will be fined P6,000 per violation, he added.

Meanwhile, the provincial chapter of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster sa Pilipinas in Negros Oriental has its hands full in containing what could otherwise be an uncontrollable problem of paid “political barkers” using the airwaves to push their candidates in widely observed unethical practices in local stations.

KBP-Negros Oriental president Michael Palma admitted it is, indeed, a tall order for him and the organization to continuously monitor these “barkers”, who have been asked in a meeting Tuesday to observe the KBP Code of Ethics.

The “barkers”, known as temporary broadcasters, or block timers, have been at cutthroat competition since last year, either hitting at each other, or the political candidates they were endorsing through paid airtime.

One of them has even gone to court to sue a politician after the latter allegedly threatened him inside the announcer’s booth. The politician, in turn, announced he was suing the broadcaster for libel.

Palma said he has asked the block timers not to resort to black propaganda, muckraking and hitting below the belt.

Many of these part-time broadcasters do not even have KBP accreditation, although Palma said they were asked to sign a memorandum of understanding for them to abide by the KBP rules.

Palma noted that bulk of the responsibility to clear the airwaves of trash political propaganda is for the station owners and managers to strictly impose policies against it.

He said he is ready to impose sanctions if necessary once a block timer, or any broadcast journalist, is found guilty of violating the KPC rules.*PNA

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