Iloilo Collects 3.1 Tons of Election Campaign Waste

By Joseph Bernard A. Marzan

The Iloilo provincial government has collected a total of 3.1 tons of physical campaign materials from the 2025 elections as of Friday, May 16, and is urging the public to continue removing more.

Mitzi Peñaflorida, supervising environmental management specialist of the Iloilo Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office, said the waste includes tarpaulins, flexible plastics, bamboo sticks, and wires.

The cleanup began Tuesday, May 13, a day after the elections, and coincided with the issuance of Executive Order No. 42, Series of 2025, by Iloilo Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr., mandating the Limpyo Eleksyon for MoRProGRes campaign.

Peñaflorida said the total waste volume is expected to double as local government units continue collecting discarded materials.

“It will double, as estimated, because of the [social media] posts from municipalities that joined our ‘Operation Baklas’,” she said in a radio interview.

“Even on Saturdays and Sundays, they have continued to collect campaign waste.”

She added that the province will tap its Balik-Alat program to repurpose campaign materials into useful items such as bags and accessories.

The Balik-Alat program was launched in 2022 as part of the province’s post-election cleanup.

In its initial rollout, partner organizations converted campaign tarpaulins into reusable eco-bags primarily for market use.

This year, a new organization has been tapped to improve the durability of products, as the earlier ones wore out easily due to exposure.

“The groups we’ve tapped have continued stitching even after the election season,” Peñaflorida said.

“Now, because we have a lot of campaign waste, we can again make eco-bags, wallets, and pouches.”

She said they are coordinating with the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office, the Local Economic Development Investment and Promotions Office, and municipal environment and social welfare offices to expand the Balik-Alat initiative.

Peñaflorida also said the provincial government, in partnership with municipal governments, is engaging communities at the grassroots level to reduce plastic use, especially for grocery shopping.