The provincial chairman of the PDP-LABAN in Negros Oriental, Atty. Joel Obar has questioned the legality of airport authorities in asking that the tarpaulins of political candidates mounted on a private property at the Dumaguete airport be taken down.
Atty. Obar was referring to the tarpaulin bearing the photographs of Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano and another one of Rep. Neri Colmenares which are hung at a privately owned place within the airport vicinity.
Duterte is the PDP-Laban presidential standard bearer in the May 9 elections with Cayetano as his running mate, while Colmenares is running for senator.
Obar announced Wednesday he is still weighing his options on whether to defy or abide by the request of the airport official that these tarpaulins be removed from where they are hanging in plain view of airport users.
In fairness, though, the airport official who introduced himself as the manager of the local Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) was kind and not arrogant over the phone when he made the request, said Obar.
According to Atty. Obar, he told the airport manager about a Supreme Court ruling that says that any information materials attached to a private property cannot be removed as these are an expression of the right of information and the right to exercise expression.
Obar disclosed the airport official had informed him that there is an office memorandum from CAAP not to allow any campaign materials at the airport.
But Obar said these are not political ads but simply “information” materials.
“I am tempted to defy if only to deliver a strong message that government is not bigger than constitutional rights”, Obar added. (PNA)
